Mr Belikov
by Bretagne2
Summary: Rose and Dimitri were each other's first love. But,then she abruptly ended things between them leaving them both hurt and Dimitri without a reason. Who knew of the secret she was hiding from him and how it would affect their lives? 5 years later they unexpectedly meet, both in roles that make it hard to avoid each other. With feelings escalating, will the secret stay a secret?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone this is my new story with Rose and Dimitri**

**For now its in Rose's pov unless otherwise marked.**

**So relax, read and enjoy :)**

**This is the summary (the longer version since I had to edit it to keep with the character limit): Rose and Dimitri were each other's first love. But, then she abruptly ended things between them leaving them both hurt and Dimitri without a reason. Who knew of the secret she was hiding from him and how it would affect their lives? Now, 5 years later they unexpectedly meet, both in roles that make it hard to avoid each other. Rose's secret is also threatnening the already strained tension between the two. Both their hearts are laid on the line as both try to control their growing feelings and as Rose tries to keep her secret...a secret.**

* * *

I fought back tears as I knocked on his door, not really confident in what I had to do but knew I had to do it regardless.

"Rose," he said as he opened his door and saw, the smile disappearing as he took in my face. "What's wrong?"He motioned to take my hand and pull me inside but I automatically took a step back.

"We-" my voice broke, "We have to break up."

"What? I don't understand, why? Rose what's going on? Is there something wrong?"

"No, there's nothing wrong I just think that we shouldn't be together anymore."

"But...why? Are you sure you're okay? Please come inside and we"ll talk about it." He made another motion for me to come inside and that's when I knew I need to leave, leave fast and leave now. If I came inside then my objective here would be lost. If I came inside I would break down and tell him everything. It's hard to keep a secret from someone who knows you almost as well as you know yourself.

"Dimitri, listen to me, we-we're just not meant to be okay. You're a great guy it-I just think that we're not meant for each other." Even as I said that they sounded false to my own ears. I took a step back again, before turning around and walking away. As I did it my heart broke, but I knew this was something that I had to do.

"Rose, please, I know you don't believe that, come back let's talk about this."

As I walked away I selfishly stole one more glance at him. His face contorted in pain, those eyes that I loved so much full of pain, pain that I had caused. As I left the campus I took a different path, and as I did I saw him come after me. I wasn't exactly hidden but I knew he couldn't see me.

"Rose! Rose!" he shouted, looking around wildly.

Leaving him calling my name, I turned around and left. That was the last time I saw Dimitri Belikov. He called and texted many times, even stopping by my house but after a while I guess he gave up, I know I would. Even though I haven't seen him in about 5 years I'm still reminded of him nearly every day and to this day I'm pretty certain that turning away from him had been the hardest thing in my life, but I also still firmly believe that what I did was right and I would do the same thing again and again. When I saw Dimitri again it was completely unexpected and I was unprepared but then how exactly do you prepare to see your first love again after 5 years of no contact and a horrible break-up. Then, factor the reason why I broke up with him and things immediately get way more complicated. Whoever said this was right: You never forget your first love.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone again! I want to thank u guys sooooo much for adding my story to ur favorites list and story alerts. The feedback that I've been getting makes me smile like a child when u take them to the candy store:) I want to thank my reviewers: Babehangel, hilda0829, Hannawolf101, Mori Belicov Hathaway, sunayna4sho,aj davis, Valerie Belikov, bros b4 hoes, and Shinylinx97  
**

**aj davis also brought up soemthing that i stupidly forgot to add (slaps palm to forehead): Yes, this story is all human**

**To respond to Shinylinx97: The reason why Rose broke up with Dimka will be answered in due time. I know that's not rlly much of an answer but I don't want to spoil the story. Sorry.**

**Also, not every chapter will be as short as the first one, I assure you ;)**

**So now that I've cleared everything up...um...read :)**

* * *

"Stella! Stella come and eat so I can get to work on time!" I yelled from the kitchen

I heard her feet thudding against the tile, "And stop running!" I added, and the thudding suddenly stopped.

All at once I heard shrieking and giggles. "Daddy, put me down! I have to go and eat! Put me down daddy!"

When they entered I couldn't help but smile.

"How do we look Mommy?"

"Yea Rose, how do we look?"

I looked at them both, my husband and daughter.

With his crooked tie and mischievous smile, it wasn't hard to figure out why I fell for Adrian Ivashkov. I mean good looks aside-those sparkling green eyes- he was a great guy. I had met him when I was studying to become a nurse, he was studying to become a doctor. At that time, however I wasn't looking for a date or a one night stand. I just wanted to focus on school, I didn't need any distractions from my responsibilities. Even when he asked me out, I declined, but eventually I came to see that he wasn't just looking to get in my pants, and I agreed. We fell in love and have been married for 2 years. He loves me, I love him and he loves Stella.

Stella sat on top Adrian's shoulder, backpack on her back and hair tied in a messy ponytail. Stella was my sparkling little ball of joy. She was 5 years old with big brown eyes, long thick eyelashes, and curly brown hair, that never seemed to want to stay in a ponytail holder. I loved her more than life itself.

I reached forward and straightened Adrian's tie before giving him a kiss. Since I was close, Stella climbed off his back and into my arms.

"You guys look amazing." I said giving her a kiss and fixing her ponytail. "But you Missy need to eat, so we can leave, and you Mister need to get to work."

Stella sat at the table and began to eat while Adrian poured himself a cup of coffee.

"Stella, it's not time to go to school yet, why do you have your backpack on?" I asked

"Aren't we going to school today?" she asked

"No, we're going to open house. School starts next week. Speaking of open house, Adrian you're gonna make it tonight, right?"

"Of course, I'll go over right after work, for now I'm out. I'll see you guys later." And with that Adrian gave me and Stella a kiss goodbye before leaving. Stella finished eating so we took our stuff and left.

* * *

While Adrian and I were at work, my best friend Lissa took care of Stella. She stayed at home to take care of her baby while her husband Christian worked in a lawyer's firm. At first, I declined Lissa's offer to take care of Stella. It wasn't that I didn't trust her, it was that I didn't think Lissa should have to take care of my child. Even as a teen, I strongly believed in doing things myself, not in a rush to ask others for help. Lissa, who had been my best friend since elementary school, respected that but absolutely refused to have Adrian and I pay for daycare when she was "sitting at home, doing nothing, except changing diapers" her words not mine. She said that she welcomed Stella's company and that it was the least she could do for her god-child.

"Auntie Lissa!" Stella said when I dropped her off. Even though she saw Lissa nearly ever day, every morning when I dropped Stella off, she acted like she hadn't seen Lissa in years.

"Stell-Bear!" I was sad to say that Lissa acted the same way. I rolled my eyes and smiled while I put Stella's stuff in the kitchen.

"Auntie Lissa, can I see Charlie, can you paint my nails, can we go to the zoo again, please?" Stella asked, shooting of questions like missiles. Charlie was Lissa and Christain's eight month year old son, and Stella was absolutely fascinated by him.

"Why is he so tiny?" she had asked, the first time she saw him.

"Because he's a baby." I had answered.

"When is he gonna get like me?"

"He just needs to grow up a little bit." I said

Stella was quiet for a moment before she asked, "Was I like that?"

I thought back to when she was born, the first time I had held her in my arms. She was so tiny, and beautiful.

"Yes, you were like that."

She seemed content with the answers and her attention shifted back to Charlie.

"Hmm, well of course you can see Charlie, maybe we will paint your nails, and if the weather's good then yes we can go to the zoo." Lissa answered.

Stella was so happy that they might be able to go to the zoo that she barely payed attention to me as I left. Instead she was talking about all the animals that they might see. I smiled as I went to work, the shining sun seeming just right for my happy mood.

* * *

I walked into the room of my first patient today, Sonya Tanner. Yesterday Sonya was in a car accident and while she only had a concussion from hitting her head on impact, she was also 5 months pregnant, so the doctor wanted to keep her over-night for observation.

"Hello Mrs. Tanner, I'm Rose, your nurse. How are you feeling?" I asked walking into the room.

"Hello Rose. I'm fine, my headache subsided which is great and the baby's kicking." Sonya replied smiling.

I proceeded to check her monitor and heart rate, marking it on my chart. "Do you know the gender?"

"No, me and Mikhail, my husband, want to keep it a surprise. It'll be our first."

I smiled, "That's nice, you never forget your first."

"That you do not."

Sonya was fine so I said my goodbyes and left, then checked on the other patients. At around lunch time I decided to call Lissa, just to check in, after speaking to her she handed the phone to Stella.

"Hi Stell."

"Hi mommy."

"How are you? What animals did you see?" The weather had turned out alright so Lissa had taken Charlie and Stella to the zoo.

"We saw lions, and tigers, and bears." Stella's animated voice chirped.

"Oh my!" I said laughing.

"Oh my what? Are you okay?"

I laughed at her not getting the joke. 'Nothing Stell, it's a joke."

"Oh okay, well I gotta go, we're going to the penguin exhibit. Bye mommy!"

"Bye Stell." I said before hanging up. I had long ago given up on trying to call Adrian during my lunch, most of the time I never got him and he would answer texts so late I wondered what I had said in the first place. I finished lunch, and went to check on more patients until my shift ended. Then I went to go pick up Stella.

* * *

"Mommy! I'm having a problem with my hair!" Stella called from her room. We were getting ready to go to her open house. I went over and brushed her hair before putting it in a neat bun.

"There. Beautiful." I said looking at her reflection in the mirror. "Now don't get your clothes dirty, I'm going to take a shower and change mine.

I had to admit that I was a bit nervous, I had never been to an open house, and then that combined with everyone's surprised look when I said I was Stella's mother. "You? You're so young! Aren't you like 22?" I used to get angry, so I was young, so what? Recently, however, I've learned to ignore the comments. Everyone seems to think that a young mother dresses like so wanna-be teenager: short-shorts that showed off everything, and a crop top that barely covers her navel. I wanted to make a good impression on Stella's teacher, show that I was serious about Stella's education. In the end I wore black slacks and a nice, cream blouse. While we were in the car driving to her school, Adrian called.

"Hello." I said

"Hey Rose, sorry but I don't think I can make it to Stella's school on time, for her open house."

"Adrian, you know this is important to her," Stella had been excited about school since she left pre-kindergarten.

"I know, I know, I just got kind of held up with a patient. Tell her I'm sorry, okay. I gotta go."

"Okay, we'll see you tonight."

I told Stella that Adrian couldn't make it and her face showed disappointment, until we reached the school parking lot. We walked into the school and looked for her name. _Stella Ivashkov...Room 122._

"Mommy, do you think my teacher will like me?" Stella asked in a quiet voice as we walked to the room.

"I think your teacher will like you and you will have a great kindergarten year, okay?"

If I had known what lay in that room, I wouldn't have been so quick to reassure Stella. Instead I would've reassured myself. The thing is I was about to learn a very important lesson: You can run from your past for days, months, even years, but eventually your past will catch up to you. Eventually you have to stop running and face your past. But I wasn't ready. Like I said before, how can you ever be ready?

I saw the name on the door before I saw him, and even then I told myself that this had to be a coincidence, I mean what would be the odds that _she _was in _his_ class.

Because in the classroom stood Dimitri Belikov.

Or should I say _Mr. Belikov_

* * *

**Wellllllll some of you may hate me for leaving the chapter like that?**

**Sorry if this seemed somewhat of a filler chapter, I just needed everyone to know what's going on and who everyone is. **

**Q: When can I expect another update?**

**A: I don't know maybe next Thursday again, I'm not sure.**

**I lastly want to thank everyone who reads my story and leaves a review (If your name wasn't listed as one of the reviewers and you left a review, sorry, you'll be in my next chapter for sure.), those of you that favorite and story alert me and/or my story, thx soooo much :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! That last chapter was a bit of a surprise, leaving reveiws that (again) made me smile :)**

**As ususal thank you to my new reviewers: Hermosa Pesadilla, littlebadgirl2904, TheBookShelf, Catebrazil, aj davis, mavebelikova, Mori Belicov Hathaway, Caza101, Valerie Belikov, ihipera Tua, bros b4 hoes**

**I thought I should mention that Dimitri and Rose are about 2-3 years apart. I say 2-3 and not a definite number because while age doens't matter in Dimitri and Rose's present/future, it may help u guys to figure out how old they were 5 years ago. Meanwhile, if you have any questions about their age or etc., if it doens't spoil the story I am willing to tell u. Just leave a review or p.m. I don't want anyone to be confused :)**

**Anywhoo... enjoy the story :)**

* * *

**Dimitri POV**

_5 years ago..._

I was sitting at my desk catching up on homework that I had procrastinated earlier this week when I heard a knock on my door.

"Rose." I said as I saw her at the doorway, I was about to say it was a nice surprise till I saw her face. It was red and blotchy and her eyes were red-rimmed like she had been crying not too long ago.

"What's wrong?" I asked. I went to take her hand and bring her inside but she took a step back.

"We-We have to break-up." She said. _What? _

"What? I don't understand, why? Rose, what's going on? Is there something wrong?" There had to be something wrong, I mean sure she had been acting a little weird the last couple of weeks but everytime I asked her what was wrong she said it was nothing. Other than that things had been going well between us.

"No, there's nothing wrong. I just think that we shouldn't be together anymore." With those words, my heart broke. This had to be some kind of joke, right?

"But...why? Are you sure you're okay? Let's come inside and talk about it."

"Dimitri, listen to me, we-we're just not meant to be okay. You're a great guy it-I just think that we're not meant for each other." I didn't understand, did I do anything? What could I do to make her come back? I didn't, hoewver, get the chance to ask her my questions because the next thing I knew she turned around and started walking away.

"Rose, please, I know you don't believe that, come back let's talk about this." I yelled to her retreating back. She glanced back at me one more time before turning at the corner and disappearing from sight. I hurrind back into my dorm room and got my shoes. I shoved my feet into the first things I found and fled from the room.

But by then it was too late. It was like she had disappeared into thin air.

"Rose! Rose!" I shouted looking around the nearly deserted campus.

That night I must have went around the campus at least 20 times, looking for her. Over the course of the next weeks, I called, texted, even dropeed by her house. When I did her aunt came to the door.

"Dimitri, what a surprise. Can I help you?" I'd always liked Rose's Aunt Alberta. She was a kind, fair woman, and had always madae me feel welcome whenever I came over.

"Um yeah, have you seen Rose?" I asked straining to get a peak over her shoulder.

"Rose...Rose isn't here." The way she said it made me think that she was lying." Have you tried calling her?"

"Yeah she's not answering."

"Hmm, well no she's not here sorry." Alberta looked like she wanted to say something else, but instead she gave me a small, sad, smile before quietly closing the door.

As I was leaving, I saw a flicker of movement in the corner of my eye from the curtain in the front window. I turned but it was as if nothing had moved. That day after getting no reply from my calls or texts, I'm sad to say that I gave up. I struggled with my decision for days afterward but in the end I decided that if Rose really wanted to end things, I would respect that. At some times, curiosity would get the better of me and I would find myself picking up the phone to call her, just to ask her why. Why did she end things between us? But the curiosity soon died down too and I threw all my focus into school, getting my teaching degree. I taught at a couple elementary schools in a couple different grades before I realized I really liked teaching kindergarten. I had just transferred to a new school and was excitied for the new school year. It was there at my first open house in that new school that I saw her. My past coming and slapping me in the face.

Rose Hathaway.

* * *

**Rose POV**

Time had done him well that's for sure. If possible, he had grown even taller. It looked as if he had been working out, not extremly, but enough that I could visualize the muscle beneath the button down shirt that he was wearing. His hair-I wondered if I still felt like silk, silly I know- neatly pulled back from his face. His face, the feature that I had loved about him the most, from his utterly kissable lips to the deep brown eyes that were like looking into two pools of chocolate. Somewhere between gawking at my former lover and trying to make sense of it all, I was remotely aware of Stella disappearing from my side and instead behind me, clinging a bit to my leg. She was shy. I tore my gaze from Dimitri to pay attention to Stella. As I did I heard footsteps coming closer. _His _footsteps. Right now more than ever I wished the ground would open and swallow me up.

"Hello, I'm Mr. Belikov and I'm going to be your kindergarten teacher this year. What's your name?" Dimitri said as I turned around, his words directed towards Stella, stooping down from his lofty height to come at eye height with her. I noticed that he was now avoiding eye-contact with me instead focusing on Stella.

"St-Stella Ivashkov." She said, even sticking out her hand for Dimitri to shake. I watched as Dimitri shook her hand, his big one engulfing her much smaller one.

"Would you like to take a tour of the classroom?" He asked her. She nodded and followed him as he began to walk around the classroom. I followed behind them as he pointed out the parts of the room: a math center, a reading center, etc. I had to say that I was quite impressed but then again Dimitri had wanted to be a teacher since we had been together. The part that I noticed Stella lingered the most in was the music center. She loved musical instruments, especially the piano. Dimitri also noticed her lingering.

"Do you like pianos?" Dimitri asked. When Stella nodded he said, "I'm thinking about making a music club for the school, would you like to join, I mean if it's okay with your...mother." I also forgot how much Dimitri liked musical instruments too. From the drums to the guitar, Dimitri knew how to play it and well too.

Stella eyes bored into mine, pleading.

"Well, we'll have to see, you know the times and stuff." I said.

We had come to a full circle around the room and Stella asked Dimitri if she could stay a bit in the music center. He said okay and she nearly ran over there, excited to explore. I, however, wanted to grab her and have her stay here, between me and Dimitri. If she was here the topic would be focused solely on school, not on our past. Dimitri watched her walk away, a bit of a confused look on his face, my heart thudded in my chest. Suddenly, he looked at me, our gazes locked and I saw a swirl of emotion in those eyes: Hurt, a bit of anger, and some other emotions I could not place.

I started to say something I didn't know what but one of us had to say something. "Dimitri-"

"I hope that our past...relationship will not affect Stella's education." He said, interrupting me.

"No. Not at all, I'm very serious about Stella's education." I replied

"Good. Here are some papers..." And with that Dimitri stuck solely to the topic of school, explaining the curriculum, what Stella was going to be learning, the importance of homework, etc. And even though I had wanted to keep the conversation strictly on school, I found myself wondering _"What? That's it! No emotion, I'm over here nearly in cardiac arrest because here YOU are and you're over there cool as a cucumber talking to me about HOMEWORK!"_ It took nearly all the will-power I had from saying this out loud. When he was done Dimitri asked me if I had any questions, I had none so I took it as my time to leave.

"Bye, Stella. See you next week on the first day of school." Dimitri said as we were leaving.

"Bye Mr. Belikov."

Stella chatted happily during the ride home, leaving me half listening to her and half worrying about my thoughts.

"So how was the open house?" Adrian asked me later that night.

"It was okay, she seems excited to start so that's good."

"And her teacher, she said it was Mr...Belikov- I think- is he good?"

I hesitated a bit as I replied, I mean it wan't like I was keeping a huge secret from him or anything. I mean I didn't know Adrian's past girlfriends and I doubt he would want to know about my past boyfriends-right?

"He seems good too, ready to teach."

"Okay, that's good. I'll be there on her first day of school, make it up to her."

"Yeah, well I'm tired, goodnight." Even though I said goodnight I spent half the night worrying, so much that when I finally fell asleep, my alarm clock rang all too soon.

"I love my kindergarten class! It has a math center, a reading center, it even had a music center!" Stella gushed to Lissa when I dropped her off.

"Really, that's great! What about your teacher?"

"Mr. Belikov is nice." Stella replied

"Belikov? Belikov? I've heard that name before..." As soon as the words left Lissa's lips, her jade green eyes focused on me. She steered me towards the kitchen, making sure the Stella didn't follow.

"Belikov! _Dimitri _Belikov! He's Stella teacher?"

"Yes. He's her teacher."

"Holy shit." Lissa said, making a rare moment by swearing. I raised my eyebrows.

"What desperate times call for desperate words. Rose, this is a sign. You have to tell him the truth."

Lissa was one of the few people that knew the true reason why I broke up with Dimitri.

"What? And have him hate me for life?"

"Rose, come on, it's been five years, he's entitled to the truth. It's not fair to keep this from him." This was an age-old argument between Lissa and I. Five years ago when I had made my decision Lissa stuck with me like a best friend would but occasionally she would sound her disagreement to my choice. Over the years we would have this argument less and less, me saying that even if I had wanted to tell Dimitri I had no contact with him and couldn't. Now with Dimitri here, I could no longer keep up my side of the argument.

"Lissa, I'll tell him when I'm ready!"

"When another 5 years later? And by then it won't just be Dimitri that resents you."

"You don't think I know that?" I was getting very frustrated, mostly due to my lack of sleep but also because the same things that Lissa said were the same things I'd been saying to myself for years, especially last night. Lissa looked a bit taken aback, but took in my appearance. Even though I had put on some makeup to cover up the bags under my eyes, I knew Lissa could see right through it.

"Rose, anytime you want to talk, you know I'm here okay?"

I ran a hand through my hair, the frustration leaving my body, leaving fatigue in its place. "Yea, I know."

She gave me a hug, I said good-bye to Stella, and I went to work.

* * *

On my lunch break I called Stella's school, this was a solution that I had-tiredly-come up with last night.

"How may I help you?" The receptionist said.

"I would like to know if I can switch a student from a class. I want my child out of Mr. Belikov's class."

"Hmm well, I'm sorry but that's just not possible. You see, we've had a surplus of kindergarteners this year and each class has a set amount of students. Taking a student out of one class and into another will leave a teacher with too many students and Mr. Belikov with less students, and you wouldn't want to mess that up, now would you?"

"No, of course not." I said, dejectedly.

And with that my last chance, last hope really, was shot down. Stella was going to be in Dimitri's class whether I liked it or not.

* * *

**Well, this chapter ended up longer than I thought? Over 2,000 words. Next chapter is going to start with Stella's first day of kindergarten, we might see a little bit of comfort between 2 people ( not gonna say who) just that they are male and female :)**

**We see how the break-up went for Dimitri, didn't Rose just break his heart! :(**

**I also updated before Thursday so that's awesome :)**

**As always thx so much for the reviews and followers and favorites :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello!**

**Thank you to my last update reviewers: xX Dimka's girl 4 everXx, bros b4 hoes, KvAaTmHpLgEuNrAl, ashleyr2468, Valerie Belikov, lynso, BritLynn97, CiaraRosex, LexiBelikov4ever, and, littlebadgirl2904**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

**Dimitri POV**

So Rose had a daughter. She was a pretty little thing, but then again Rose was her mother. It was interesting because she-Stella-was what I imagined to be a half and half meaning that she looked half like Rose and half like her dad. She had some of Rose's features: curly brown hair, tanned skin, long eyelashes. But, there were also some features that you could tell didn't come from Rose: her cheekbones, shape of her eyes, also her height, Stella was taller than the average 5 year old. I would be lying if I said I wasn't interested in who Stella's father-and Rose's husband-was. And he was Rose's husband because I had seen the wedding band and they had his last name: Ivashkov. I racked my brain but came up with no one that I could remeber.

You might be asking why I care so much, why am I wondering who the husband is, who the father is. I mean I have moved on. I've been teaching and I recently started dating. It was just seeing Rose again brought back some emotions that I haven't felt in about 5 years. She was no longer that broken, reckless, 17 year old that I had first met. During our relationship she had changed, showing more self-restraint, coming out of the shell she had put herself in after the accident. But, seeing her again as this beautiful, mature woman, I hadn't been ready for that. Even though it had seemed as if I was over it, that she had no affect on me, I still found myself thinking about her on my way home that day from open house. But, apparently Rose had moved on, she had a husband and a child. But that's okay, this happenes everyday, people meeting their exes again after some time, why should we be any different? I was Stella's teacher, she's was Stella's mom, there would be no drama, no emotions, no nothing.

Boy was I wrong.

* * *

**Rose POV**

I had to have checked Stella's bag about 50 times while she changed her clothes, making sure that all her school supplies were there. Adrian had made her favorite breakfast: pancakes in the shape of mickey mouse with bacon and tea. (Stella was the only 5 year old I knew that drank tea, she prefers green tea to chocolate milk. I gave it to her one time when she was sick and we had no chocolate mix or syrup, and she has favored it since. The only person that I could remember liking tea that much was Dimitri. He used to drink it like it was water.)

_"Hey Comrade, why do you drink so much tea?" I asked him one day when I came over to his house._

_"It soothes the mind, and makes you think clearer. It also helps me when I'm nervous. Would you like to try some?"_

_He gave me some and I had to admit it was pretty good, but I was more a chocolate milk kind of girl. When I told him that he laughed. Whenever Dimitri smiled or laughed, I swore it was like magic. His whole entire face lit up, making him seem even more handsome. He saw me studying him and stopped._

_"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked, I shrugged my shoulders and smiled, but Dimtiri would have none of that. With a mischevious look, he put down his tea and started tickiling me._

_"Dimitri, please-stop!" I said between laughs. He stopped only to give me a kiss that made the world spin and my heart rate double._

I snapped out of teh memory when Stella came out of her room, asking me to help her with her hair. "What's wrong, Mommy? You look kind of sad."

"Nothing, Stell. I'm just kinda sad to see you go."

"But I'll be back this afternoon." She said, then she thought for a moment, "Would you like to come with me to kindergarten?"

I laughed, "No, baby, Mommy's time for kindergarten already passed and now it's your turn okay." I said, smoothing her curls.

What I said to Stella had been true, I was nervous as hell to see Stella go. Sure, she had gone to pre-k but that was only for 3 hours. She was my first-born, my baby, and this was the first of her many first days of school.

"Okay, let's get ready to go." I said.

We entered the classroom, Stella clasping both me and Adrian's hands. I subconsciously searched for Dimitri among the crowds of parents and small little 5 year olds. He was near the front of the classroom talking to a parent.

"Are you ready kiddo?" Adrian asked Stella

"Yes."

"Alright, give your old man a hug."

"Daddy, your not old!" Stella said, laughing and letting go of my hand to hug Adrian.

I stooped down to say my goodbyes. "Okay Stell, this is it, you are now a kindergartener. Remember to be good and listen, okay. I left your inhaler with the school nurse, so that if you had an emergency it's here. I love you, okay."

She wrapped her hand around my neck. "I love you too Mommy." As she let go, I heard footsteps coming toward us.

"Hello, Miss Stella, are you ready." Dimitri said.

Stella smiled, "Of course I am, Mr. Belikov."

Upon, hearing the word "Belikov" Adrian decided to introduce himself. " Hello, I'm Adrian Ivashkov, Stella's dad."

"And I am Mr. Belikov, Stella's teacher." I tried my best not to cringe while they shook hands. I saw Dimitiri quickly glance between Stella and Adrian. We gave Stella quick waves as we left the classroom.

"Adrian, you think she's going to be okay?" I asked as we got in the car.

"Stella's a smart girl, you thought her well, she'll be fine." Adrian said. Then to my surprise, a tear leaked out of my eyes.

"Oh damn. I mean what if she has an asthma attack? What if it's real bad and she needs me?" I said, Adrian looked towards me, he hadn't started the car yet.

"If that happens, then the nurse has her inhaler. The school will also call you so you can fly in like superwoman and save the day. The question is, are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine." I said, trying to reassure him as well as myself.

"Well, if you need any _comfort_ you know I'm here." Adrian said with a wink. I slowly got what he meant.

"Adrian!"

"What? It's been a while since we...you know." I took a while making a rebuttal because part of what Adrian said was true. I couldn't remember the last time we had sex. Adrian was tired when he came home from work, I wasn't in the mood, it was always something.

"Hmm." I said

"Is that a yes?" Adrian said grinning.

"We'll see." And with that Adrian started the car and we went home.

At home, I gave in and said yes. As we kissed and more clothes came off, I found my mind less on Adrian and more on Dimitri. I wasn't imagining Dimitri in my head as Adrian and I kissed but it was as if I was trying to prove that I was over Dimitri. It was screwy, I know, and I did love Adrian but seeing Dimitri brought emotions that I didn't want back. Flashbacks like the one I had this morning were starting to pop into my subconscious. I had to convice myself that Dimitri had moved on, just like I did. Surely, I no longer meant anything to him. I was just Stella's mother, another student's mom, thats all.

* * *

It was about a month after school started and Stella was loving it. During the first week she talked about school nonstop, it was everything to what she did in school, to who her friends were, to what she ate for lunch. Adrian usually dropped her off and I would pick her up meaning that I saw Dimitri everyday. He made sure that all the students properly went home. Whenever we made eye-contact he would nod or I would and then we would both go our seperate ways. It seemed to me that we were both willing to put our feelings for each other aside when Stella came into focus.

It was about mid-Septemeber when Lissa called. "Hey Rose I have the best news!"

"What is it?"

"Chrisitian just made partner in the law firm!" she squealed happily.

"Oh really, that's great!" I replied. Chrisitian had been assitant at his law firm for about a year. Being made partner was something that I knew he'd been hoping for. This was a big step for him.

"Yeah, I know I'm so proud of him. I'm throwing a little party for him Saturday and you and your peeps are invited." Whenever Lisss was excited she tended to speak what she classified as "street" It was a phase from her teenage years that I hoped would fade but never did...sadly. Lissa also like to throw parties or really any social gathering that brought people together. She had gone to college to be an event organizer/decorater, gotten her license for it, and made some of the best and most beautiful weddings, quinceaneras,-whatever event you had, Lissa did it- but had went on a bit of a hiatus when Charlie was born.

"Of course, who's coming?"

"Well you guys of course, Mia, Mason, some people from Christian's firm- Eddie, Sydney- Christian also invited his sister and her boyfriend and Jill was going to come but she has some big test on Monday and has to cram."

Jill was Lissa's younger half-sister, who went to college.

"Yeah sure, we'll be there."

"Great, would you mind coming early. Christian's going to be out getting the food and setting up furniture, I'm going to be cooking and I need extra eyes on Charlie."

"Sure, I can be your taster." I said

"Please Rose, I've known you too long and too well, you don't _taste._ You inhale, you devour, you-"

"Okay, I get the point. I'll just help you with something else." I said laughing.

"Awesome, I need to go make a list. Bye."

We hung up and the following Saturday me and my "peeps" were there. When the door opened Lissa's cooking hit me in the face, making made my mouth water.

"Congrats Little Man, I always knew you could do it." I said as Christian opened the door, ruffling his hair.

"You know Rose, you're only 3 months older than me, not 5,000 years. And, how did you know I could do it when half the time I didn't even know if I could do it?" Ever since I found out that I was older than Chriatian I continually held it over his head, 3 months, 3 years, the only point that mattered to me was that I was older.

"It doesn't matter Chrissie, all I know is that I popped out the womb before you did and that gives me bragging rights."

"Bragging rights? I'm still more mature than you."

"Are not! You have the matureness of a 4 year old. Stella's more mature than you!" The banter between Christain and I was one of a brother and sister, and to me could never grow old, especially this arguement.

"What are you talking about, I'm more mature than you by generations. You don't have my wisdom and-"

"Rose, Chrisitan cut it out, what kind of role models are you for Stella and Charlie? Anyway Rose I need you in the kitchen and Christian and Adrian can you guys move the furniture around? Adrian I already gave Christian the layout he'll show you." And with that we each got to work, I did what Lissa asked which included putting things to boil and checking on Stella and Charlie who were watching cartoons.

"Jeez Liss, you know November is about 2 months away." I joked looking at all the food.

"Well, I just wanted everyone to have enough. Wait, you think it's too much, is it too much? Oh jeez I knew I-"

"Liss, calm down I was just kidding. Besides you're forgeting that I'm here. I will inhale and devour all the food."

Chrisitian and Adrian had just finished moving the furnitiure about 5 times, and Lissa and I were just finishing washing the dishes and putting the plates, cups, and utensils on the table when the doorbel rang. Lissa opened the door and in walked Mia and Mason. Mia, Lissa, and I had gone to the same elementary school. Mia had left at the end of the fifth grade but we recognized each other at the hospital, (we're both nurses) and she mentioned that she was looking for someone to do her wedding. I recommended her to Lissa, and our friendships were reunited.

"Hello, hello!" Mia said stepping thorugh the doorway.

We all hugged and when Mason say Stella he said, "My goodnes, you've gotten so big. Rose what have you been feeding her?"

"Oh you know, just steroids." I said as everyone laughed. What Mason said was true, Stella had a major growth spurt before school had started, I was a bit worried but when I asked her doctor she said that it was normal.

As the time went by more guests started coming, Eddie, Sydney. They cooed over Charlie and were astounded by Stella's growth. It was nearly dinner time and neither Christian's sister nor her boyfriend had made an appearance.

"I think they're just running late," Lissa said, "But I don't want to start dinner yet without them."

"Come on, Lissa, I'm sure that they're not even coming. I don't say it in front of Christian because you know that's his sister, but I don't like that woman, when you and Christian were going to get married I swear she nearly did everything in her power to break you guys up. And I know you don't like her eiether, you're just trying to be polite."

This was a differnece between Lissa and I. Even if Lissa didn't like you she tried her best to be polite to you anyway. Me on the other hand, if I didn't like you, there would be no politeness, I didn't care who you were.

"Rose, just try to be nice okay. No drama."

"What? I don't even start anything! That bit-"

"Rose, really. This is for Christian, promise me you'll be on your best behavior with her." Lissa said, interrupting me.

I sighed, long and loud, so she knew I wasn't okay with it. "Okay just for you and Christian, because I feel bad for him growing up with her."

"Okay, let's go put the food on the table, hopefully they'll be there by then."

We put the food on the table and started to sit. Christian sat at the head of the table, on his left sat Eddie, Sydney, Mia, and then Mason. On Christian's right sat Lissa, (Charlie in his high chair next to her), Adrian, Stella, and me. There was one extra seat next to me and then another seat at the other head of the table. I told Lissa that I would rather sit next to the boyfriend than Christian's sister so she would be sitting at the head of the table and her boyfriend would sit next to me. We had just sat down when the doorbel rang. I gave Lissa an _I told you so _look as she got up to open the door.

As I saw who was behind Tasha Ozera_, _about a million thoughts flew through my head. _Why was he here? Did he take pride on making my life a living hell?_ and lastly, it was a fleeting thought and I chasted myself for asking it: _Why her?_

That's because behind Tasha stood...

Dimitri Belikov.

* * *

**Well another semi cliff-hanger. Will there be a cat fight over the peas?**

**I might put the chapter like this, some in Dimitri's pov, and some in Rose's, idk it depends on what's going on in the chapter. **

**Anywhoo thx to all my reviewers, followers, favoriters, story alerters :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello!**

**As always thx to my reviewers: Valerie Belikov, Katie Cipriano, ashleyr2468, bros b4 hoes, littlebadgirl2904, .Reader, Hannah, HersheyRoza, and KvAaTmHpLgEuNrAl**

**HersheyRoza- Sorry I didn't reply to you, I tried my best to put jealousy in this chapter :)**

**You may not notice this now but with how the story is playing out I'm putting some clues here and there, so if you don't understand something plz feel free to p.m. me or leave a review. If it doesn't reveal the story then I'll be more than happy to tell you. :)**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

**Dimitri POV**

The first month of school went pretty well, my students were a well-rounded bunch and I started to believe that kindergarten was really where my heart was at. Stella, was a pretty good student, coming in ready to learn and generally having a good time. Rose and I seemed to have an unspoken mutual agreement: when Stella was around we both stuck to our "roles" Her as Stella's mother and me as Stella's teacher, our past as lovers was either forgotten or ignored. This came in handy because I saw Rose everyday after school when she picked Stella up. I was out on duty after school to make sure that the children properly got home whether it was by car, bike, or walking. Whenever Rose and I saw each other we would nod and then avoid eye-contact. The limited contact made it easy to pretend but I knew that sooner or later Stella or some other third person wouldn't be around and then who knows what would happen then. For now my life went in routine: wake up, work, grading papers or checking homework after school, dinner, sleep. While I was at home checking the homework or grading papers, Tasha, my girl-friend, would come over occasionally and try to distract me.

"Dimka come on, let's go watch a movie or something, you have so many dvd's and you don't even watch them." She would say, coming behind me and putting her hands on my shoulders.

"Tasha we both know that _watching movies_ is the last thing you want to do." I would say laughing.

"Well, I know that it's not going to happen because you won't get up from this computer. I don't understand, you work all day and then you come home and do even more work."

"Okay, fine." I said, shutting down my laptop and putting down my pen, "Let's go watch some movies."

It was about mid-September when Tasha asked if I would go with her to her brothers party for making partner at his law firm. Tasha had told me that the party started at 5 but for some reason I think she was stalling. She didn't live with me but she kept some makeup and a drawer full of clothes at my apartment so she got ready at my apartment. She said she had been running late, when she showed up at my apartment around 6, but instead of hurrying to put on her makeup and dress, what should have been 15 minutes getting ready took around half-an-hour.

"I don't like her." Tasha said while putting on her makeup.

"You don't like who?" I asked, I was ready and had been sitting on the couch when Tasha arrived.

"His wife, she's so-mmm I don't know I just don't like her. I don't think she's right for him."

"Tasha, your his sister, you won't think anyone is right for him."

"No, Dimitri, like seriously, she's just so perfect. Tall, slim, blond, she thinks she own the damn world with every flick of her hair. I bet she dyes it too. She just recently had a baby and I haven't seen her since then but who knows maybe she's fat and frumpy now."

I didn't say it out-loud but it seemed that Tasha was jealous. Don't get me wrong, Tasha was a very pretty woman, long black hair, piercing blue eyes. The thing that I didn't like about Tasha was her self-confidence, it wasn't very high and she tended to make fun of other women who had what she didn't feel confident about. I had learned long ago to not say anything about it unless I wanted a huge argument later.

At around 6:30 we were out the door on on our way.

"I'm only really going for him, because, both his wife and her little side-kick friend pisses me the hell off." Tasha said as we got out the car

"Just watch Dimka, you'll see." She said as she rang the door-bell.

The side-kick thing really should have been the thing to tip me off, but how could I have known? As soon as Lissa Dragomir-well I guess Lissa Ozera now- opened the door I knew that tonight something was going to happen, whether it be good or bad I didn't know. Was this going to be the start of us meeting everywhere now? This had to be the start of a bad joke: What do you get when you go to you girlfriend's brothers party and your ex-girlfriend is there not to mention her kid and her husband, oh and let's not forget that your current girl-friend doesn't like her brother's wife or your ex-girlfriend? I was getting a headache trying to wrap my head around this because you know what you get:

Yep, that's right, you get TROUBLE.

* * *

**Rose POV**

It was Stella who spoke first as they came through the doorway.

"Mr. Belikov!"

"Hello, Stella." He said giving her a smile. "Stella's one of my students." He said after seeing Tasha's surprised look.

"Oh." She said looking from Stella to me and narrowing her eyes.

That _bitch._

I disliked Tasha Ozera with every bone in my body. That woman was mean, manipulative, and strutted around like she owned this world. What she needed to do was come back down to earth with the rest of us. She also, for some reason, does not like Lissa, even though Lissa has been nothing but nice to her.

_"I can't wait to meet Natasha, Christian has told me so much about her and she sounds cool." It was Lissa and Christian's engagement party and she was going to meet Tasha for the first time. As usual, Tasha was late. When she finally arrived, she didn't even say hello to Lissa prompting Lissa to introduce herself._

_"Hi Natasha, I'm Lissa, it's so nice to meet to you." Lissa said sticking out her hand._

_"It's Tasha, and do you know where Christian is?" Tasha said, looking at Lissa's hand like it was dirty. Lissa let her hand fall and pointed to the direction to where Christian was._

_"She does not seem nice." I said_

_"Well, maybe she's just nervous to meeting me, you know. I don't want to push her, I mean I wasn't expecting to be bffs with her or anything."_

_But as the night went on Tasha made no secret to how she felt about Lissa. When Lissa would go out of her way to talk to Tasha, Tasha would either ignore her or give her sarcastic one-word answers._

_"I don't understand, " Lissa said to me a couple days later, "Did I do anything to her? Did I say something wrong?"_

_"Please Lissa, that woman is bad news and you know it, you did nothing wrong." I continued to console Lissa even through her wedding preparations while Tasha seemed hell-bent in bringing Lissa down. She did everything from commenting on Lissa's weight to teasing her about the dumb-blonde stereotype. It was a couple minutes before the wedding and I saw Tasha go into the bathroom and I decided it was time for a little heart-to-heart. I walked in and saw her washing her hands._

_"Listen Tasha, you need to stop bothering Lissa." I said_

_"Oh really? And why should I do that?"_

_"You're bothering her which in turn bothers me so you have better cut it out."_

_"Oh is there some kind of lesbian thing going on that I need to tell Christian about before he makes the mistake of his life?"_

_I took a step forward, intruding into her personal space. "This is going to be the last time we talk about this, stop trying to ruin Christian and Lissa. He's good for her and she's good for him, maybe if you would stop trying to sabotage her you would see that."_

_"All I see is some fake Barbie trying to get my little brother to marry her before she gets old and lonely."_

_I had realized something over the course of the engagement leading to the wedding: Tasha had very little self-confidence. When we all ate Tasha picked and picked at her food, then immediately excused herself to go to the bathroom, that combined with her seriously low-cut dresses and shirts to emphasize her boobs, was enough to tip me off. I understood if you had little self-confidence, I just don't see why you had to pick on others to make yourself feel better._

_"And all I see is a jealous bitch trying to cover-up her lack of self-confidence. Now if you try to split them up or do anything to bother Lissa, I'll make sure that your next paycheck goes to a plastic surgeon to fix your crooked nose because I broke it. Do we understand?" Tasha took a step back and I saw that I had hit home._

_I started to leave the bathroom when I heard her say, "Is that a threat?" _

_I fixed her with a sickly sweet smile and said "Nope that's a promise."_

_Ever since then Tasha hadn't been the greatest sister-in-law but she stopped trying so much to bother Lissa._

"Wow, you've gotten so big. You like what 6,7,8?" Tasha asked Stella as we started to eat.

"I'm 5." Stella replied.

"Hmm. So how's mother-hood treating you Rose?" Tasha asked me. This was one thing that Tasha endlessly nipped me about: being a mom. It stopped bothering me a while ago but today with Dimitri here, I was on edge.

"It's fine. They say that having a child releases the motherly instinct in everyone," I pretended to stop and pause, "Well, not everyone." I said specifically smiling at Tasha.

The dinner continued to go like that, there was small talk between everyone and Tasha and I kept up with our insults. After dinner we cleared the table. The ladies went into the kitchen to talk and the guys turned on the t.v. to a football game and started watching. It was Lissa who noticed something I hadn't.

"Rose, Stella is stuck to Dimitri like glue." It was true the were on the the other couch, on the side of t.v. and from my guess they were discussing music. Both seemed like they were really into the conversation too, they're hands mimicking like they were playing certain instruments.

"Rose..." Lissa said giving me a look.

I sighed, "I know, I just haven't had the right time."

"Rose, I hate to say it but I don't think you're ever going to have the right time."

Lissa went back into the kitchen and I walked over to the couch where Stella and Dimitri were sitting until I saw the game on t.v.

"Is that the Jets?" I asked. I had loved the Jets since I was a little girl when I would watch the game with my dad.

"Yep and they're so gonna lose to my New England Patriots." Christian said giving me a smirk.

"Oh really? Since you're so sure I'm putting down 15 dollars that the Jets are going to win."

"Fifteen? That can't even pay for diapers and the Patriots are going to win so I'm willing to put down 20."

"Okay fine, have that twenty ready Chrissie." I said as we shook hands.

I stopped where Stella and Dimitri were and Dimitri motioned to the t.v. "You're still a Jets fan Rose?" He asked.

"For life." I replied smiling. I was surprised that he remembered.

"Stella you shouldn't be bothering Dim-Mr. Belikov." I told her.

"Oh no it's fine we were just discussing music." He replied. "She's not bothering me."

"Oh okay, keep talking about your Mach then." I said

"Mommy, it's Bach not Mach." Stella said, playfully rolling her eyes. "I keep telling her." she said whispering loudly to Dimitri. He laughed and looked up at me while I shook my head and went back to the kitchen.

I later went to use the bathroom and as I was going in Tasha was coming out.

"Well look who it is." She said blocking the bathroom entrance.

"Yep it's me and I need to go pee so move."

"What's the magic word?" She said, I really didn't want to deal with this. I wondered how Lissa would react if I decked Tasha in the face because she wouldn't let me use the bathroom. She'd probably go on about how I wasn't setting a good example for Stella, how I promised to be nice, how was she going to the blood stains out of her carpet...blah, blah.

"You know, you have some nerve. You would go as far as to use your child to keep Dimka and I apart." She said. I wondered what she was talking about and then realized that since Dimitri was talking to Stella he wasn't talking to Tasha.

"Well it's not fault that Dimitri wants to talk to someone with a bit more knowledge than you." I said.

"You need to get your little _ brat_ away from him."

"Or what? What are you going to do Tasha? Hmm? Look at you, you're pathetic. You're jealous of a 5 year old."

I saw rage spark in those blue eyes and I wanted to laugh. Someone needed to take this woman off her high horse and I was more than willing to do it.

Tasha, having nothing more to say, walked down the hall, attempting to flip her hair in my face. I finished in the bathroom and went out to my car to get a CD that Lissa asked me to bring. I was coming back when I heard the voices.

"Come on Dimka, you haven't even talked to me all night. She's one of your students, you see her everyday in school, it's not fair." It was Tasha's voice: whiny and annoying.

"Tasha, I'm not just going to stop talking to her because you don't want me to." Dimitri's voice sounded a bit exasperated. Seriously, what did he see in her?

"Did Rose put her up to this? Force her to talk to you so that you'd feel bad and not talk to me? I knew it, that sounds just like Rose. She always thinks the world revolves around her. Who does she think she is? I mean-"

"You know what Natasha, I hate to say it but the only one sounding self-centered here is you. You should go inside. I'll come in a little while." _Whoa! _Dimitri even used her whole name, he meant business.

"But Dimka-"

"Go Tasha."

She huffed and went inside. I waited till the door opened and then closed. I was going to try to just sneak inside and not let Dimitri know I had heard their little spat. I was doing just that when my heel got stuck in a hole. I tripped and put out my hands to break my fall when I felt a hand on my arm, stopping me from falling.

"Rose?" Dimitri asked as I righted myself. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Um...thanks."

There was a moments pause and then he asked, "How long have you been out here."

I decided not to answer.

"That long, huh?" he said

"Are you okay? You seemed pretty upset." I said

"I wasn't upset, more like disappointed, you know?"

"Well, Tasha's not exactly the model of niceness." I said.

"She's not always like that."

"Yes, she is. I watched her be mean and hateful to Lissa when Lissa was nothing but nice to her. I watch her manipulate and attempt to control people like they're pawns in her little game. I refuse to be one of them."

"You still got that old rebellion in you, huh?" He asked, a little smile on his lips.

"No." I said, and he lifted an eyebrow.

"Well, yes, but only for the people I care about."

He smiled and I sighed, I realized that this was the first conversation that we were having that it was just the two of us and we weren't arguing or pretending to ignore what happened between us.

"So Dimitri, how's life been treating you?"

"Pretty good, the teaching has been going really well. I like kindergarten."

"I don't know how you do it, patience hasn't always been my forte."

"Well you seem to be doing a pretty good job with Stella. She's the first 5 year old that I've met that actually enjoys talking about music."

I laughed, "Well Stella's a special case, sometimes she has her acts of stubbornness and I'm sure she's just like me...but then sometimes she'll be the quiet one that observes and watches, you know? I mean she likes her cartoons just like any other 5 year old but then she'll just sit and listen to classical music and be content. You know?"

"So she's like Adrian?" he asked. I turned my head sharply toward him, surprised by the question.

"I'm sorry, that must have been out of line." he said

"No...no, it wasn't out of line." I looked down and started fiddling with my fingers.

"Rose," I looked up then because his tone of voice had changed, it sounded like he was going to tell or ask me something important.

"Yes?" He took a step forward and involuntarily I took a step backward, but there was no where to go, my backward meant the garage door. I was immediately reminded of our break-up, me wanting absolutely no physical contact with him. I couldn't lie to myself though, right now my body was reacting to him being this close to me. My heart thudded in my chest, I could smell his aftershave.

"Rose...I-I wanted to-"

It was at that moment that Tasha came out of the house, and a strange look came over her face. I noticed that Dimitri and I were pretty close together and who could tell what our body language conveyed.

"We're about to do the toast." Tasha said

I passed by Lissa when I went inside, "Hey, I didn't mean for Tasha to go out there, I was just wondering where you and Dimitri were and I think she heard me." Lissa said.

"No it's okay. I-yeah it's fine." I said

"You know you and Dimitri were out there for a while."

I sighed as Lissa gathered everyone up to toast. Stella had fallen asleep on the couch and Charlie had long ago gone to bed.

"Okay so let's start this. First of all I want to thank everyone for coming. Christian we are all proud of you. I love you and couldn't be more prouder." Lissa said, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Congrats Christian I'm more than happy to see you as a partner." Sydney said.

"Ditto." Eddie added

"Well, you just prove that hard work pays off, congrats Christian." Mia said speaking for her and Mason.

"Well, little bro, you did it. You showed that Ozera spunk and look where it got you. Lissa, you better hold on to him. I mean your not getting any younger." And with that Tasha managed to insult Lissa and give her brother a compliment at the same time.

"Tasha always talks about what a wonderful person you are Christian and tonight I saw it. Congratulations." Dimitri said.

"Congrats Christian, you deserve this." Adrian said

"Chrissie," I started and smiled when he rolled his eyes, "I love you like a brother and I know how hard you've been working to get this and I'm glad you finally did. You worked your butt off and you got it. Your the perfect role model for Charlie and I'm glad Lissa has someone as dedicated as you. Congrats." I lifted my glass and then added, "Oh and I expect that twenty no later than Tuesday, Mason told me that the Jets won. You thought you were gonna get away. Ha!" I said as everyone laughed.

"To Christian." we all said, lifting our glasses. As we drank I caught Dimitri's eye, and wondered what he had to tell me and if I would ever find out.

* * *

**Okay, so I'm not sure if it was the ultimate cat fight that you guys were picturing...But, hey we see a Dimitri mad at Tasha :) Also a Rose&Dimitri moment?**

**Thank you to all my reviewers, story alerters, followers, and favorites :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello!**

**As always thx to my wonderful reviewers: ImmortalH3artlittlebadgirl29 04, Katie Cipriano, .Reader, mavebelikova, Smiles-Daily, LexiBelikova4ever, SkDanielle16, l, AdrainsLuv, ashleyr2468, KvAaTmHpLgEuNrAl, and Valerie Belikov**

**I would also like to correct myself, I know in a former chapter I said Dimitri and Rose are 2-3 years apart but it's actually 1-2 years apart.**

**Anywhoo...Enjoy! :)**

* * *

_I walked into the new music store after school one day. It was fairly new, having become open a few months ago and I had wanted to check it out. Inside was very cool, they had different sections for the different instruments, and sections for the __composers. I browsed through the store and then found what I wanted and was about to checkout. I was so engrossed with what I found that I wasn't watching where I was going and collided with someone as I turned the corner. The person had been carrying a stack of music albums and they all fell when we collided, scattering across the floor._

_"Can't you watch where the hell you're going?" said a familiar looking girl. She appeared to be my age if not younger and had long, dark brown hair tied in a messy ponytail. She also had a very pissed-off expression._

_"Oh, I'm sorry." I said, helping her to pick up the albums. As we bent down I as able to get a better look at her face, and saw something that-living in a house-hold filled with women- I've seen many times. Her eyes, red-rimmed and puffy like she had been crying not too long ago. _

_"Are you okay?" I asked. I had seen too many women cry in my lifetime-one in particular, too many times- and had developed a soft spot for a female's tears._

_"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine. Jeez." _

_"Are you sure?" I asked tentatively._

_"You know what? Why don't you mind your own damn business!" She said, grabbing the remaining albums from my hands and walking away._

_I raised my eyebrows and proceeded to checkout but that encounter stayed with me for the rest of the day. I tried to think of where I had recognized her from but I couldn't remember. I went back to the store about a week later and she was my cashier. There was an awkward silence as she checked out my stuff but she surprised me when she spoke._

_"Hey...um, I'm really sorry for what I said, last week. You know about the...business stuff. I was just having a really bad day, I'm sorry...really." _

_"No problem," I said, "We all have a bad day."_

_"Or life, if you look at it." I heard her mutter under her breath. "Well, even so I shouldn't of been such a bitch to you. Afterwards, I felt really bad about it and I'm sorry."_

_"Really, it was no problem...Rose." _

_Her eyes widened, "How did you know my name?"_

_I smiled a little. "Name-tag." _

_"Oh, I knew that." She said, a blush filling her cheeks. It was then that I realized that there was something different about her today compared to that last time we met. She looked different, more lively. I had been so struck by the weirdness of our encounter that I didn't notice that Rose was a very pretty girl. Long thick eyelashes, dark curly hair tumbling down her back. I cleared my throat, aware that I had been studying her._

_"Dimitri." I said, putting out my hand._

_"Rose," she said, shaking it, "but you already knew that."_

_We stood there smiling at each other, until she was done with my stuff and I left the store._

_This memory has stayed with me for a long time mostly because that was the first time I met Rose Hathaway._

**Dimitri POV**

It was about mid-October, about a month since Christian's party. When we had come back from the party Tasha had more than enough to say. It was everything from how Lissa didn't make her feel welcome to what was Rose and I talking about. For days after the party I had been asking myself: If Tasha hadn't interrupted us, would I have asked Rose what I had been wondering for 5 years. I didn't know what had come into me at that moment and since I had come so close I was eager to find out the answer, but that would require me asking her, and that would require us being alone which hasn't happened since the party. I had forced those thoughts to the back of my mind, especially because lately I hadn't had time to think about anything else but school. The principal had okayed the music club so for one hour on Tuesdays and Fridays of every week, a group of kindergarteners-fifth graders met in my classroom. Stella was one of the students in the group that showed the most enthusiasm. She was usually the first one to get on the instruments and the last one to leave, her favorite being the piano. It was weird, she reminded me of a younger me. And that's when I get to something that's been bothering me. Well bothering is the wrong word. It was something that I noticed but stayed in the back of my mind. It was something that confused me yet made me feel smug.

I couldn't decide whether I was happy about it or upset...and that was the part that confused me the most.

* * *

**Rose POV**

I admit that I have been a bit on edge since Christian's party. Part of me wanted to know what Dimitri was going to ask me and then part of me thinks that they knew what he was going to ask and was glad that he didn't get the chance to ask because I didn't know how I was going to answer. He made the music club like he said and Stella, of course, asked me if she could be in it, I agreed and so far it seems that she loves it. I even told Adrian that I was thinking of getting her a small piano for Christmas. I was running late on picking Stella up one Friday afternoon and was outside Dimitri's door when I heard a familiar tune and stopped dead in my tracks.

"You know, there's this song, that I used to play a lot, I don't play it as much though." Dimitri said

"Why not?" I heard Stella ask.

"Hmm I don't know...You know I used to play it for your mom."

"My mom?"

"Yep, she couldn't play, even though I tried to teach her, but I used to play it for her all the time." He said

"Can you-can you play it for me?" Stella asked in a small voice.

"Of course." He said. And that's when I heard the familiar tune that immediately whisked me back to when I was 17.

_I didn't want to admit it but my job had become the favorite part of my day. School was out for the summer so my life consisted of hanging out with Liss or Aunt Alberta, and my job. It wasn't that Liss or Aunt Alberta were boring to hang out with, it was mostly the guy with the hair that never wanted to stay in it's ponytail holder and the gorgeous smile__ that made me happy to come to work. I know right? How pathetic. But I'd gotten to know him a lot. We would usually talk while I worked and talking to him made it easy to forget the train-wreck of my life. Talking with him made me feel like myself, my old self before the accident. But it wasn't only the escape that I got out of Dimitri, I just genuinely liked talking to him. We talked about everything from family(his sisters were hilarious), to what we wanted to do in the future (he wanted to be a teacher). Sometimes, we'd talk for so long that he'd stay until night when I closed, meaning that we were the only people in the whole store. This is what happened tonight._

_"Come on Dimitri, let me hear you play." I said, teasing him. I had seen him, more than once check out the piano. He had once told me that he knew how to play._

_"What? No way." he said smiling._

_"Come one, there's no one around... are you a chicken?" I said, grabbing hold of his arm and steering him towards the piano._

_"No..I just-Isn't it kind of late?"_

_"Nope, you're not getting out of this. I will stay here all night if I have to." I said, crossing my arms to show I was serious._

_"Okay, just a little." He sat down next to me on the bench and started to play. What came next, was beautiful. His fingers danced on the keys, his face the picture of concentration, I didn't know much about music but even I could tell it was really good._

_He stopped suddenly and turned towards me. "What? Wait why did you stop? That was great!" I said_

_"Mmm it was okay."_

_"What are you talking about? I wish I could play like that!"_

_"I can teach you, if you want, like here let me see your fingers." He took my hand in his and glided it across the keys, his other arm went around my back and clasped my other hand. It wasn't as fast or as good as he was but I could at least tell what it was._

_"Hey look I'm playing!" I said, laughing at looking at him. He turned to look at me and that's when I noticed we were really close to each other. Putting his arm around me had put me closer to him so that we were sitting side by side. Up close, I could really admire how good-looking Dimitri was, from the brown, mysterious eyes to the lips that I was now thinking of kissing. That idea, him kissing me made me both giddy and dizzy. My heart thudded in my chest as time froze, both of us in our own world. I don't know how it happened, who leaned into who but the next thing I knew, his lips were on mine. It was slow as first, his lips softly pressed against mine, but then it grew hungry moving in sync with mine, my hand left the keys and snaked into his hair, pressing him closer to me. _

_That night, when I went home and slipped into my bed I touched my lips, heart still pounding when I thought of that kiss, my first kiss with Dimitri Belikov._

"Stella let's go." I said, walking into the room. Dimitri abruptly stopped playing, eyes flashing to mine. I wanted it to stop, I wanted all of it to stop. I wanted to stop remembering, stop having these memories, stop re-thinking the choice I made 5 years ago and wondering if it was the right one.

"Mommy, Mr. Belikov said that he used to-"

"Stella, get your stuff and let's go." Her eyebrows crinkled as she caught onto my curt tone. She got her stuff and started to leave the room.

"Rose listen, I-"

"Stella why don't you go out to the car to the car okay, I'll be there in a little bit." I said

"Rose I-"

"What happened to keeping our "past relationship" away from Stella?" I said coldly.

"What's wrong with what I told her?" He said

"Dimitri come on, you know what was wrong there!" I said, my voice rising.

"No I don't see what was wrong, please enlighten me!" I could see he was getting upset, his voice also rising, something that was rare for him. I should have stopped right there and left but my emotions just added more fuel to the fire.

"You know what happened that night!"

"How could I have known you were even here?" He replied

"Oh so if I'm not here it make it alright to tell _my _daughter about us?!"

"What was so wrong with what I told her? Huh? It's like...It's like your trying to hide something Rose!" I had nothing to say to that, mostly because he was right.

"You know what, Stella's waiting for me and I have to go." I turned around and started to walk out.

"Rose-don't-" He grabbed my arm and I swiftly turned around not expecting him to be that close. _Too close._

"Dimitri-I-" We stared at each other emotions crackling between us, so many things left unsaid, left undone between us. He let me go and I fled from the room, taking a deep breath before I went outside.

* * *

"Grandma Alberta!" Stella said as I opened the door. It was now Thanksgiving and Aunt Alberta had flown to join us for thanksgiving dinner and to stay for a few days.

"How are you doing, sweetheart? My goodness you're nearly taller than me!" Aunt Alberta said stooping down to hug Stella before standing back up and hugging me.

"I'm fine, but-oh i have so much to tell you, you have to look at my sheet music and-and-"

"Stella give her some time to at least put down her bag." I said, laughing.

Aunt Alberta put down her bag and Stella whisked her to her room.

I was about to go back into the kitchen when the phone rang. "Hello." I said

"Hello, I'm calling for Adrian." A female voice responded.

"Um he's out right now, can I take a message?" At the last minute I had needed some extra food and Adrian had gone out to go and get it.

"No, that won't be necessary. Can I ask who I'm speaking too?" She said. _Excuse me?_

"I'm his wife, who is this?" I was starting to get a little suspicious, I mean it wasn't like I suspected Adrian of cheating on me or anything but this call was kind of weird._  
_

"Oh, well can you just tell him that Angela called, please and thank you, have a nice day." She said before hanging up. _Angela? Who's Angela?_

"No wait- who are you-" I tried to get her before she hung up but she was already gone leaving me stumped and staring at the phone.

"Rose?" I heard Alberta's voice.

"I'm in here."

"Stella's something you know that? Reminds me of a little bit of you when you were young, you were so full of energy." she said

I smiled. "Stella also tells me that she loves kindergarten." My smile dropped. "She also tells me of her music club where a Mr. Belikov is teacher. Hmm and I think to myself, my I've heard that name before. Belikov as in Dimitri Belikov."

I look down at my hands because even though Alberta, like Lissa, supported my decision she didn't exactly agree with me.

"And I'm also guessing that he has no clue, does he?" She asked me while I shook my head.

"Rose-"

"Listen Aunt Alberta whatever you're going to tell me, Lissa has already said it trust me. She nearly had a heart-attack when she first found out." I said, resorting to my old logic of using humor to cover up my emotions.

"I'm not going to say anything except to please trust your instincts and do what's right. The longer you sit on this...just the worst it's going to be in the end."

"But, I can't do it. You know I can't. You know why I made that decision in the first place." I said, my voice lowering to a whisper.

"Rose, Lissa and I can preach and preach about how you should tell him but it's going to be you in the end that has to push yourself to do it."

I sighed, and hugged the woman that had took care of me all those years. I knew she was right, I just didn't think I would ever have the courage to do it. I was scared, so scared, of what he would say or do; how he would react. All those years ago I had been so sure that keeping it from him was the right thing to do. Now, with all these emotions and memories clouding my brain I was no longer 100% sure. I was also thinking of what Lissa had said in the beginning, if I waited another five years, he would not be the only person that resented me.

* * *

**Hmm so we get a little bit of tension between Rose and Dimitri, and also some flashbacks! :)**

**Also expect a lot more flashbacks to come, in the end it'll all make sense, promise :)**

**Thx to my readers, favoriters, alerters, and followers :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello!**

**As usual thx to my wonderful reviewers: LixiBelikov4ever, readsalot8, .Reader, ImmortalH3artlittlebadgirl29 04, charboday, CeeCee15, ashleyr2468, Jupiter girl25, Valerie Belikov, and KvAaTmHpLgEuNrAl.**

**Enjoy:)**

* * *

**Dimitri POV**

_It was a Friday afternoon and Rose was running late on picking Stella. She and I were the only people left in the classroom and we were playing the piano. It reminded me a lot of when I used to play for Rose._

_"You know, there's this song, that I used to play a lot, I don't play it as much though." I said, more to myself than to Stella._

_"Why not?" Stella asked._

_"Hmm I don't know...You know I used to play it a lot for your mom."_

_"My mom?" Stella asked._

_"Yep she couldn't play, even though I tried to teach her, but I used to play it for her all the time."_

_"Can you-can you play it for me?" Stella asked in a small voice._

_"Of course." I started playing, and immediately asked myself why._

_There was so much emotion, so many memories with this song. The first time I had played it for Rose was one night when we were alone in the music store. She had teased me to play and I played for her leading us to our first kiss. Back then, I wasn't exactly sure what I was feeling for Rose. She was more than a pretty face for sure. I would come in and we would just talk, me and her. I used to go to the music store so much, my sisters used to joke that I lived there. I didn't go exactly to sleep that night. Instead I played the kiss over and over in my mind, wondering if she felt what I had felt, wondering if she had enjoyed it as much as I had. I was also wondering if she liked me like I liked her. Back then, even the thought, the thought that I liked Rose, scared me. There was so much that I hadn't told her and I wondered if she knew I wasn't always being as truthful as I seemed. But for then, I pushed those thoughts to the back of my mind and instead focused on that incredible moment that Rose and I had shared._

_"Stella, let's go." Her voice said, tearing me from my memories. Rose. How long had she been there?  
_

_"Mommy, Mr. Belikov said that he used to-"_

_"Stella, get your stuff and let's go." It seemed that both Stella and I caught onto Rose curt tone._

_"Rose, listen I-" I didn't know what I was going to say, I just had to say something._

_"Stella why don't you go out to the car to the car okay, I'll be there in a little bit." She said and Stella disappeared out the door._

_"Rose I-"_

_"What happened to keeping our "past relationship" away from Stella?" Rose said, her voice cold. I don't know what I expected but it wasn't that._

_"What's wrong with what I told her?" I said. I was genuinely curious, it wasn't like I had told Stella what happened._

_"Dimitri come on, you know what was wrong there!" She said, her voice going up an octave, like it did whenever she was upset._

_"No I don't see what was wrong, please enlighten me!" A faint alarm went off in my head, telling me that I needed to keep it under control. I rarely rose my voice when I got upset and it was happening now. I could also see pink spots in Rose's cheeks, something else that also happened when she got upset._

_"You know what happened that night!"_

_"How could I have known you were even here?" I said. What I really wanted to ask was why it was such a big deal, like I said before it wasn't like I had told Stella what happened._

_"Oh so if I'm not here it make it alright to tell my daughter about us?!" There was something about the way she said "my daughter" that I couldn't put my finger on._

_"What was so wrong with what I told her? Huh? It's like...It's like your trying to hide something Rose!" I said, delivering the final blow, my temper rising. It seemed like the emotions, the feelings, the stress of seeing Rose again had been building ready for this moment when we would both explode._

_Rose was quiet for a moment before she said, "You know what, Stella's waiting for me and I have to go."_

_Just like that all the frustration drained from my body leaving me tired and just sad, sad about how it ended between us, sad about how even though I was a 23 year old man I couldn't figure out how I was feeling about Rose._

_"Rose-don't-" I said, grabbing her arm as she was about to leave. She spun around and suddenly we were very close to each other. I looked into her eyes and saw so many different emotions: sadness, anxiety, frustration._

_"Dimitri-I-" I let her go and she left the room, not even glancing back._

This argument had been running through my mind for the past month. I wondered if there was anything I could have said or done differently. I tried to push it to the back of my mind as I exited the plane not ready to ruin thanksgiving with my family because of my foul mood. My sister Viktoria was the one that met me at the airport.

"Vik, hey!" I said giving her a hug, "How have you been?"

"Dimitri my God, is it just me or did you grow taller?" she said, laughing.

We chatted as we left the airport and she got me caught up on what's been happening at home.

"Dimitri!" I heard as I entered the house, being smothered into hugs. I admit, I had missed my family and going away to teach had been hard, but I tried to always call and come back for holidays as much as I could.

Ineffective planning on my part had made me come in on Thanksgiving day and I settled around the couch as the parade played on t.v. and my family members asked me questions about teaching, etc.

"Have you had any really bad kids Dimka?" Karolina asked

"No not really I have good kids, well there's this one kid that will not stop eating his boogers." I said as they laughed. "No really, he does it a lot."

"What about your music club that you said you were starting, did you?" Viktoria asked.

"Yeah I started that and before winter break I'm preparing the kids to play in a little concert after school."

"Oh that's cool, any good kids in that too?"

"Yeah, some of them are pretty talented. There's this one kid, Stella, she's so bubbly and you can tell she really wants to play the piano. In fact she reminds me of Ro-" I stopped immediately. On the plane I had told myself that I wouldn't mention Rose, not even Stella, but I had broke one rule and I wasn't about to break another. Besides, my family didn't know Stella. Even so, when I was about to say Rose's name I saw Yeva's eyes snap up to meet mine, instantly alert. It was like she knew what I was about to say.

"She reminds me of someone that I used to know." I finished, no one noticing my lapse except for Yeva.

I helped my mom and sisters with the rest of the cooking and then we all ate. Later that night, I couldn't sleep and went out to sit on the porch. I had just sat down on the swing when I heard Yeva's voice beside me, nearly scaring me out of my own skin.

"She's back."

"Yessh, grandma thanks for nearly giving me a heart-attack."

"She's back."

I sighed, not even bothering to deny it. What was the point? "Yes, she's back."

"How do you feel about that?" Yeva asked.

"Confused, frustrated, mad."

"You forgot happy." Yeva said.

"I'm not happy."

"Your not?"

"No. I'm not. Why would I be happy that she's back? _She _broke up with _me._" I said, but even as I said those word, I knew I was lying. There was this tiny, tiny part of me. A part of me that I didn't want to admit to myself, but I was kind of happy that she was back. This tiny part of me wanted to get back with Rose, to go back to how we were before. But that tiny part of me was trumped by the part of me that was confused, frustrated, and mad. Mad because Rose left me, left me without a reason, left me wondering all these years what really happened between us. Confused because what was so horrible, so bad that Rose felt she needed to leave me. And lastly frustrated that I still had these feelings when it seemed that she moved on. She had a family, a husband and a kid and she seemed pretty contempt.

"Dimitri, you need to ask her." I didn't have to ask what Yeva meant by asking her. I knew that I had to ask Rose why she had broken up with me 5 years ago. It was the only way that I felt we could move on.

"I will."

"When?"

"When I get back." I said

"When you get the courage." Yeva said, more a statement than a question.

"Dimitri, whatever the reason that Rose decide to break-up with you, know she did it with a kind heart. She did it because she thought it would benefit you both in the end. You need to promise me that when you find out the reason-whatever it is- you will at least try to be understanding."

"Yeah, okay. I will be understanding." I said, not really realizing the full intensity of Yeva's words.

She stood up to leave and when she was just about to go inside I heard her say. "Dimitri, another part of you lives."

I turned around to ask her what she meant but she was already gone leaving me with yet another thing to mull about. The rest of my stay came with no other meaningful words from Yeva and I enjoyed the rest of the time with me family. It wasn't until I was back in my apartment that I let the full strength of my conversation with Yeva fill my thoughts.

_Another part of you lives. _Now what did she mean by that?

* * *

**Rose POV**

I felt horrible. I mean really horrible. I had the head-pounding, the sore throat, the stuffy nose, the cough. I suspected it came with the cold weather that December brought on but could it really come at the worst time possible? The worst time being Stella's parent-teacher conference. Yep that's right, I was going to have to leave the safety of my house-my room more like it- to sit one-on-one with Dimitri while I was stuffed with as many pain medications that you could think of. Adrian couldn't do it because he was at work and Lissa was nice enough to take care of Stella while I went. I also couldn't reschedule. I stuck through it though and listened as Dimitri said how Stella was doing in class. He said that she was doing fine and that she was really enjoying the music club. I had been doing fine up until the end when I felt the medication start to fade. I was the last parent apparently, so Dimitri and I were both walking to our cars when I felt a wave of nausea, leaned over and threw up in the bushes. Immediately Dimitri's hands were there to hold my hair up, so I wouldn't throw up on it.

"Rose, Rose are you okay?" he asked when I was done and stood upright. I noticed that his hands had disappeared from my hair and had gone to grasp my arms.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little woozy."

One of his hands went on my face, testing my temperature. "Rose, you're burning up."

"Yeah it's just a little cold, I'll be fine." I said trying to get him to let go of me so I could walk to my car. I made it to the door and started to take out my keys from my purse when they disappeared from my hands.

"Come on Dimitri. What gives?" I said. I just wanted to go pick up Stella, and go home.

"You are in no shape to drive home." He said, ushering me tot he passenger side.

"What are you talking about, I drove here, didn't I?"

But my comment fell to deaf ears because Dimitri was already starting the car.

"Rose, get in." He said, opening my door.

I sighed and got in. "Wait, how are you going to get home, if your car stays here. Also, I need to pick up Stella, she's by Lissa's."

"Don't worry about my car and tell Adrian to pick up Stella."

I gave Dimitri basic instructions to my house and texted Adrian to pick up Stella. The car was quiet until I spoke. "Dimitri why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?"

"Driving me home. Especially...especially after what happened the last time we talked." I looked down at my hands, waiting for his response.

"Well, I would do it for anyone else. And regardless of what happened the last time we talked I wouldn't just leave you like that." I taught about his response and was filled with guilt.

He drove me home and I went inside while he made a call. I went outside a few minutes later and he was still there. I asked him if he wanted to come inside and he said his ride was coming so I left him. When I looked outside about 15 minutes later, Dimitri was gone. I then promptly fell asleep and when I woke a couple hours later both Stella and Adrian were home. After a couple days I started to feel better and woke up before Adrian was going to work. Since that night I had sensed he was upset about something.

"Hey." I said, looking into his reflection in the mirror.

"Hello." he said, his back to me.

"What are you upset about?" I asked cutting straight to the chase.

"He drove you home, didn't he?"

I didn't bother denying it, "Yes."

Adrian said nothing and I continued on, "I don't understand, what's the big deal?"

"You thought I wouldn't notice who he was?" Adrian said, turning around to face me. "I know who he is Rose. I've known since Lissa's party. I had suspicions when I first met him but I was really sure at the party. And you know what Rose, you've been acting pretty damn weird since he came around. I know he's your ex but..."

"But what, Adrian? Huh? What? I don't know what your talking about, about acting "weird" Maybe if you were home enough you would see that I've been acting just like I always have been."

"My working never used to bother you before, Rose." He said, his voice rising.

"Oh and you know what? Who the hell is Angela?" I demanded. I had forgot and hadn't gotten the chance to ask him.

"Angela? Ange-Oh. She called?"

"Damn right, she called. Who is she?"

"She's-wait a minute, you think that I'm with her? Are you seriously accusing me of cheating on you? What the hell Rose!"

"Well what the hell am I supposed to think Adrian, when you have some girl calling and she doesn't even say who she is?!"

"I can't believe you! Angela works at Music Incorporated. Since you said that you wanted to give Stella a piano for Christmas, I was trying to find a good one. I needed help and I contacted them and they set me up with Angela. I told her to contact me if she found anything that I would be interested in."

_What? Music Incorporated?_ "But that doesn't explain why when I said I was your wife, she didn't just tell me about the piano."

"Because I told her that I was trying to keep it a secret from both Stella and you."

I was quiet, I couldn't believe that I had made that mistake, and I felt terrible.

"Adrian. I'm so so-"

"You know what, save it. I have to go to work, or as you think, go see my 5,000 mistresses." He said before slamming the door as he left.

I sat there not believing what just happened. My emotions were all over the place, if I wasn't snapping at Dimitri I was accusing Adrian on cheating on me. I was a mess.

* * *

**Hmmm so is it all falling down for Rose?**

**I would also like to say for u guys to bear with me plz, school is going back into session which means that updates will probably take longer, I love how this story is coming together so NO i will NOT be abandoning it but I would just like you guys to know.**

**Thx to all my favoriters, story alerters and follwers u guys rock! I saw the number of my reviews the other day and I was like "OH MY GOSH!" i know it's just 71 but to know that u guys take the time to review and to follow and alert and favorite makes me feel honored, thank yall soooooooo much :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! Thank you guys so much for waiting for this chapter, i know it took a while. Part of it was school starting again and then part of it was I had a bit of writer's block on this chapter. Anywhoo, I got thorough it and am glad with how this chapter turned out and am glad with the direction in which this story is going :)**

**Thx to my wonderful ****reviewers: XxXLost-In-The-CrowdXxX, BritLynn97, Charboday, .Reader, KvAaTmHpLgEuNrAl, Jupitergirl25, ashley2468, LexiBelikov4ever, and Dimkaisshmexy24**

**Enjoy:)**

* * *

_It was the last couple of weeks of summer vacation and I was really enjoying it. Whether it had to do with the beautiful weather or the beautiful girl at my side, I didn't know. After our kiss in the store, I had asked Rose out on a date and we had gone on several more. I admit, I had fun with Rose. She was a kind, caring person and I really liked her. I wondered if she thought of me as much as I thought of her and whether we were officially dating or if she thought of me as a summer fling. I hadn't been able to ask her but the answer came in a way I didn't expect._

_"I think that they have the best ice cream in the whole town." Rose was saying as we sat outside the ice cream parlor._

_"Yeah they're not bad, I like it." I said, licking my ice cream. _

_"You have something, right here." Rose laughed, pointing on her face._

_"Where?" I said_

_"Never mind, I'll get it." She said, laughing, moving closer to wipe the side of my lip with her thumb._

_"There, all better." she said, still very close to my face. I leaned in and kissed her, loving the feeling of our lips together. She smiled and leaned back. As she did her gaze went over my shoulder, and her smile dropped, her face growing somber._

_"What happen?" I asked_

_"Nothing." She said, looking into her ice cream bowl._

_I was about to look over my shoulder when suddenly, a group of girls surrounded our table._

_"Well, look who it is ladies. Poor, pitiful Rose." A girl from the group said._

_"Leave me alone Camilla." Rose __mumbled_

_"Or what Rosie? Hmm you gonna go off crying to your mommy?" The girl (Camilla) said, the other girls snickering. I saw Rose's eyes flash to her face, pain etched across her features._

_"You know what? What you said was very rude. Now scram, little girl, your making my girlfriend unhappy." I said, standing up, the word "girlfriend" rolling off my tongue before I had time to stop it. Camilla looked at me and immediately took a step back, her eyes darted between me and Rose before she turned around and went off, her pose following her._

_"I don't need protecting." Rose said, as I sat down._

_"I never said you did, I just saw you were in a tough spot and helped you out." I said_

_"I don't need someone to protect me." Rose said again, her voice harder this time. "I'm not some little girl that can't handle her own shit, okay?" As she said this I saw tears fill in her eyes before brimming over. I reached over and wiped them away, her hand going over my own as I cupped her face._

_"You know Rose, there's nothing wrong with letting someone in." I said softly._

_She looked down and smiled. "Did you mean what you said?" _

_"About what?" I asked._

_"Am I your girlfriend?"_

_"Well, that depends. Do you want to be?" I asked, smiling. She nodded and I leaned in again and kissed her, treasuring this moment._

* * *

**Dimitri POV**_  
_

"Thanks." I said, as I got into the car.

"She couldn't drive herself home." Tasha said hotly, driving away and leaving Rose's house in the distance.

I sighed, not wanting to argue. Tasha was doing me a favor by picking me up and bringing me back to the school to pick up my car, I didn't want to end up yelling at her. "Tash come on she was really sick. I would've helped anyone out if they were in her place."

"Oh so it just wasn't the point that I suspect you guys have something going on?" Tasha said coldly.

"What was I supposed to do, huh Tasha? Ignore her throwing up? I was just being nice, let it go."

I heard Tasha exhale sharply. We didn't speak until she dropped me off at my car.

"Really though Tasha, thank you." I said as I opened the car door and got out. She sped off before I even turned around. I sighed again. Was I just being nice to Rose or was it something more? I forced yet another question to the back of my mind for later and drove home.

"No, no. You guys stop-stop!" I yelled a couple days later as the music group ceased. I ran my hand through my hair. We only had about a week till the holiday concert and we weren't doing as well as I had hoped.

"Johnny, I know you can play the trombone a little better than that. Stella, keep in tune with the rest of the group. Guys let's try this again, okay." I said as they started again, sounding a little bit better as the practice finished.

By the last practice before the concert the kids were doing remarkably better and I was a little bit more confident about how it might go. I peeked out to see the crowd before the concert started. I spotted many parents and other children but my eyes rested on one: Rose. She sat about the third row from the front, engrossed in the program. She looked way better than the last time I'd seen her when she was sick. Her dark hair, that I'd loved touching loose over her shoulders, beautiful features noted even from where I was. To her left side were Lissa, Christian, and their baby. There was an empty chair on Rose's right and I assumed it was for Adrian. A poke to my side, interrupted my gawking.

"Mr. Belikov...I don't think I can do this." Stella said in a small voice.

"What happen? Are you sick? Are you okay?" I asked, stopping down to her level.

"I don't know Mr. Belikov, I just don't think that I can do this. And my stomach has butterflies."

"Oh that would be too bad, because I think you would've been great out there. I mean you came to every practice that we had right?" I asked

She nodded. "And you practiced at home too, right?"

Again she nodded. "Stella everyone gets nervous, even me. "

"Mr. Belikov, you get nervous?" She asked

"Of course I do. But I know that I practiced hard and I go out and do the best I can do. Now that's what you have to do. Okay?"

"Okay." She said smiling, "Thanks Mr. Belikov."

I was glad to say that the concert went on without a hitch, the kids played their bests and were miraculous earning them a standing ovation. I pulled them all together for a high-five.

"You guys did great, go off and enjoy the holidays." I said as they all went in different directions to their families. I was walking through the crowd when I bumped into someone.

"Oh I'm sorry." I said at the same time as the other person said "I'm sorry." Low and behold it was Rose.

"Dimitri you guys did great out there, they are all so talented!" She said, a smile on her face.

"Thank you, but really it was the kids, they all put in the effort, you know? You better watch out if Stella keeps it up, you look like you have a potential Julliard candidate." I said

"Thank you, I'll tell her you said that. You wouldn't believe how excited she was these last couple of days. She practiced every chance she got."

I smiled and there was a comfortable silence between us. "Oh I forgot to tell you, thank you, for the ride, when I was sick, it was very generous of you. I mean, you really didn't have to-"

"It's okay, really, I didn't mind." I said, interrupting her.

"So, do you have anything planned for the holidays?" I asked, not really sure why.

"Oh well, Auntie Alberta-you remember her- she's coming and then Stella will spend some time with Adrian's parents for a couple days and you know how it goes, the family and stuff. How about you?"

"Me too, visiting the family, coming back before New Years. You know." I replied.

"Oh. Well- umm have a happy holidays, and stuff and really you guys were great and-" she said starting to back-up signaling the end of the conversation.

"Rose, would you like to go skating?" I asked, the words coming out in a rush, my heart hammering in my chest.

"What?" She asked, ceasing movement.

"Um-I have these tickets to go skating and well-Tasha can't go and I was just wondering...if you would like to go instead?"

"I don't- I don't think we should. I mean, I don't think that would be appropriate." She stammered.

I took a step closer to her. "I mean, we'll just be going as friends, there's no reason we can't do that. Stella's going to be out with Adrian's parents, I was just wondering if you would like to do something."

"I do, but-but..."

"Do you still skate as badly as you used to, because then I understand, why you don't wan tot go. It's okay." I said, in a teasing tone.

"I did not skate badly." She said crossing her arms. "It's just...well...Okay fine. I guess we can go."

"Okay, just give me your number and I'll text you." She did and we parted ways, a smile breaking across my face._ What the hell did I just get myself into?_

* * *

_"Dimitri, I don't like this. I feel like I'm going to fall flat on my face." I said._

_"That's because you have to get used to it, you haven't been on the ice for very long." He said, literally skating circles around me. How someone so tall could also be so graceful was completely beyond me. I also wondered why I let Dimitri talk me into this. He said that skating would be so much "fun" and that I would enjoy this, but I think he forgot one teeny-weeny "little" detail: I didn't know how to skate, which made this very NOT fun, except for the onlookers who tried to hide their smiles whenever I fell. _

_"Roza you just need to have some patience." He said, calling me by my favorite nickname. "Here, hold my hand and let's try to go around."_

_I grudgingly let him lead me around the rink, slowly and carefully. "There." he said when we came in a complete circle. "That wasn't so bad." _

_I smiled and rolled my eyes and that's how the afternoon progressed. It wasn't until the very end when we were about to leave that I insisted on going around by myself. I did it a couple times, and had to admit that I was better than when we had first came. I was nowhere near Dimitri's speed but I felt a little more comfortable on the ice. I was going around a third time, when a group of boys sped past me a little too closely, making me lose my balance. I braced myself for the fall I was certain would come, but it never did. I opened my eyes and found myself in Dimitri's arms._

_"You caught me." I said._

_"I wouldn't let you fall. Are you okay?"_

_"Yeah, I'm fine. I just...thanks."_

_"No problem." He said, putting me right-side up and skating with me towards the exit._

_Dimitri and I had been going out for about 7 months and even though I really liked him, maybe even more than liked, my past made it really hard to trust or rely on people. How was I sure that they weren't going to disappear when I needed them? How did I know they would be with me tomorrow, and the day after that? Being with Dimitri was teaching me that you never really knew, you just had to trust that they would be. Even though Dimitri had done something as small as catch me when I was about to fall, it reminded me that I had another person to lean on, another person to trust. That thought made me feel as if I was no longer alone, trying to keep my head above water, I had someone in there with me trying to help me out._

**Rose POV**

There was still a bit of tension between Adrian and me but I guess with the holidays coming up, and of course Stella, we both tried somewhat to hide it. I still felt really bad about accusing him of cheating but I didn't understand why he was so mad about Dimitri driving me home, or maybe I _refused _to understand why Adrian was so upset because that would mean admitting something to myself that I wasn't ready for. For the time being I pushed that to the back of my mind and focused on the holidays. I threw myself into cooking, cleaning and decorating the house. Adrian and Stella had put up the tree a couple weeks ago so I worked on putting the finishing touches around the house. Alberta came over a couple days before Christmas, and then finally Christmas Day came. Of course, Stella was the first one awake, gawking over the gifts, and waking the rest of us up. We ate breakfast and then came the gift opening. A very nice sweater set from Alberta, diamond earrings from Adrian, a handmade card from Stella. She was most surprised by the piano, it was much more grander and larger than the one that we bought her a while ago when we thought it was just a phase. I even had to say that I was impressed by Adrian and felt a little stab of guilt over what I had said. We then cleaned up and went over to Lissa's house which meant more presents, which Stella was very happy with. Before I knew it Christmas was over, Alberta had gone back home and it was time for Stella to spend time with her grandparents. Adrian had to go to a 3-day conference for doctors, so it was just me alone in the house. Dimitri had texted me earlier in the week the day and time when he was going to pick me up. I hadn't told anyone about me going skating with Dimitri, not Adrian and not even Lissa. It twisted the guilt knife farther in but I just tried to reason with myself that we were just 2 people going skating as friends that's it, nothing more. But on the inside I knew that I was lying. Ever since Dimitri had driven me home, I found myself thinking about him more often, wondering about him. He was in my dreams, and the ache from 5 years ago that I thought had gone away began to come back. Maybe the skating was exactly what we needed, to see each other as friends, then we could go back into our roles. Avoiding each other wasn't working, so maybe this would.

"Hey." he said, as I got in his car.

"Hi."

"Are you ready? Are you still as bad as you were 5 years ago?" He asked in a teasing tone.

"Okay Dimitri. Watch it, I'm going to make you eat my ice." I said, as he laughed. His laugh wrapping around me like a blanket. God, I loved his laugh.

Truth be told I wasn't as bad as I was 5 years ago: I was worse. I lacked many things, balance and coordination being at the top of the list. Dimitri, however, seemed as good as new. I scowled at him as he sped past my slow pace.

"You know Rose, I'm not eating any ice." He said laughing.

I tried and failed multiple times to make it around the ring without falling. I decided I was done embarrassing myself and stopped on the side, watching others skate past.

"Come on Rose." Dimitri said as he slowed to a stop next to me.

"No I'm okay with watching." I said as he took me hand to guide me back onto the ice.

"Dimitri, really. I don't look forward to falling _ again_."

"Do I hear a chicken?" Dimitri teased. Determined not to be a chicken I let him steer me onto the ice and we went around. When we came back to the same spot where we had started I noticed that Dimitri wasn't slowing down.

"Come on. Just one more time, let you get a feel of the ice again." This went on every time we came back around. Dimitri would make an excuse why we couldn't stop and we would keep going. I pretended to be disappointed but on the inside I was having fun. We were going faster and I was getting more comfortable on the ice.

"Dimitri..." I laughed, "Dimitri, we're going to fast...we're going to-" It happened before I could say it. Dimitri had been looking at me and we had gone around a curve. We hit the wall, him on top of me, and then ended up sprawled on the floor.

"You okay?" Dimitri asked, standing up and then helping me to do the same.

I nodded and continued laughing nearly losing my balance. Dimitri caught me before I could hit the ice again. This was when I noticed how close we were to each other. I could feel his breath on my face, his arm on my waist holding me up. I wondered if he could feel my heart, thudding loudly in my chest.

We stared at each other, lost in time, lost in each other. That's when he kissed me.

* * *

**Okay don't get mad at me yet:) I mean I gave you guys some stuff in this chapter, yeah? Two flashbacks. A kiss. :) Can anyone list some other stuff? :) lol jk**

**Thx to my awesome favoriters, story alerters, followers :) yall make me smile**

**Thank you guys for reading, even when I take 5,000 years to update :) Dont worry next chapter woont take 5,000 years, it'll take 4,000 :) hahaha jk!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello! Oh my goodness I know it's been forever since I've updated. Please don't hate me, life happens :( Anywhoo, I've kept you guys from this chapter for way too long. I'll thank my new reviewers and then Enjoy! :)**

**Thanks to all my new reviewers: KvAaTmHpLgEuNrAl, anime9stars, Lulu, .Reader, Dimkaisshmexy24, hannahm2319, ladierock, ashleyr2468, Do'B, and Lalalandgirl97**

* * *

**Rose POV**

Time slowed, and stopped. The kiss consumed me in more ways than one. His lips were exactly as I remembered soft yet hungry at the same time, filled with this pent up passion that I never knew Dimitri had. I admit, I wanted that kiss to last forever and ever. I wanted to forget about the betrayal and lies, the hurt and anger that I knew would surely come when the truth was out. And it eventually would come out because it was tearing me apart. I was trying to hold on to this fragile state of normality because I was afraid. Afraid of what he would say, afraid of what would happen once I let it out. I couldn't do it anymore, and I knew deep down the truth would come out in the worst moment possible but part of me just wanted it out, just wanted the burden off my shoulders to not have to carry around for any more years...But I wasn't ready yet. And for that I forced myself to end the kiss. I stepped back and tentatively touched my lips, still tingling from the kiss. I looked into Dimitri's face which looked surprised at what he'd done. We stood there quietly for a while, just staring at each other, both trying to comprehend what just happened.

"I think-I think you should take me home now." I said slowly.

"Rose I-I-" Dimitri cut himself off and looked at me again. I started to back away and turned around, carefully on the skates, until I heard him follow me. The ride home was silent and awkward, as if we wanted to say nothing and everything at the same time. As I opened the door to get out the car Dimitri tried once more to speak.

"Rose, I'm sor-I didn't-" I nodded more to myself than him and quietly closed the car door as I opened my house door. I slipped inside and watched as Dimitri's car escaped into the distance. Making sure he was really gone, I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the shower. I didn't even realize that I was crying until the sobs racked my body. I was feeling so many emotions at once and it was killing me. I cried for myself, for Dimitri, for Stella, for Adrian, for the guilt I had that wouldn't go away. It was after I got out from the shower and I looked at myself in the mirror-red faced, puffy-eyed- that I realized the worst part was that I had no one to blame for this whole mess except myself.

* * *

_I don't know when I noticed Dimitri had been acting kind of weird. Well maybe weird wasn't the word, more like strange. Like, we'd be watching a movie together or something and I'd look up from where I was in his arms and he wouldn't even be looking at the movie, but instead at me. "What?" I would say, thinking there was something on my face but then Dimitri would smile and shake his head and instead give me kiss that sent tingles down my spine. It was in these moments when it was just the two of us that I became very aware of my feelings: I was falling in love with Dimitri Belikov. And this made me a little scared. I'd never been in love before and it seemed that everyone I loved ended up going away. But I couldn't help it. It was the little things that he did that really made me fall. It was in the proud, excited way he introduced me to his family. It was how, when he noticed I was down or upset he talked to me and made me feel whole again. It was in the way he respected Lissa and Alberta. Of course, though, I hadn't told him of my feelings, because a tiny part of me wondered if he returned them. I guess putting myself out there had been the hardest part of our relationship. I had so much practice of keeping emotions bottled up-good and bad- that I kept them inside. But I was working on it, and determined to show Dimitri how I really felt. Little did I know that he was planning on doing the same. Things, however, don't always work out as you planned._

_It was a Saturday night and for some reason Dimitri wanted to take me out. "Just a dinner for two of us" he had said. He told me to dress nice and to be prepared to have a good time. I dressed in a silky dress and heels, and was just putting on the finishing touches of my makeup when I heard the doorbell. Alberta let him in and I heard them speak while I descended from the stairs. His eyes met mine and I blushed as his eyes roamed my body before returning to my face obviously pleased with what he saw._

_"You look beautiful." he said taking my hand and giving me a kiss._

_"Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." I said. We said our good-byes to Alberta and drove off in his car. It turned out Dimitri had made reservations at a restaurant._

_"Jeez, these things are pricey." I told him as I looked over the menu._

_"I know, but it's okay. Choose anything you want." He replied. We ordered and talked as our food came._

_"This is it?" I said laughing. It turns out this was one of these restaurants that charge you as much as possible for food that wouldn't satisfy a two year old's stomach. This said, when we were done neither I nor Dimitri were full._

_"You want to leave?" He asked._

_I gave him a sad smile and nodded my head, so he paid and we left._

_"Where to now?" Dimitri asked as we got in his car._

_"Mmm McDonald's! I am hungry!" I said with a smile. We drove to nearest McDonald's and ate inside. When we were walking back to his car, however, it started to rain._

_"Oh God! Can anything else go wrong tonight?" Dimitri yelled to the sky. We stopped in the middle of the sidewalk._

_"What do you mean?" I asked._

_"First the restaurant, then it rains and we get all wet! This is not what I had planned!"_

_"Dimitri, everything's fine. I'm having a good time. I'm with you." I said quietly."But, Dimitri, why did you do all this anyway?"_

_"This is not the way I expected to tell you." He said, stepping a little bit closer to me._

_"What? To tell me what?" I asked. It was there in the middle of the sidewalk, with the rain pouring down on both of us, that he said it._

_"To tell you-to tell you that I love you. I love you Rose Hathaway." Time stopped, I stared into his eyes, my mind trying to process what he just said._

_"I'm-I'm sorry this is probably the worst possible time for-" Dimitri stammered, while I shook my head, interrupting his ramblings with my lips._

_"No-no- I mean, I love you too." I said, once we came up for air. He cupped my face and smiled pulling me once more to kiss him again._

* * *

**Dimitri POV**

I didn't regret what I did. Not at all. Not one bit. That kiss stayed with me for days afterward, it filled my senses, my dreams. I replayed it in my head over and over again. I think over the course of the couple of days I stopped lying to myself. I stopped telling myself that I didn't have feelings for Rose. I stopped telling myself that I was content and that I didn't want her back. During my small epiphany I realized there was also something that I had to do.

"Dimitri, I didn't expect you to come by." She said as she opened the door.

"Tasha, we have to talk." I said as I stepped inside and sat down on the couch.

"Go ahead."

"Tasha, I don't think that we should continue seeing each other." I said, as I watched her face go from pleasant to angry.

"The hell. Why not?"

"I just don't think that we're good for each other. We're two different people and I'm sorry to say but I just don't feel the way I used to about you. We had our good times but in the end I think that we just aren't right for each other."

"Dimitri that a complete load of bull shit. It's her isn't it?" Tasha said angrily.

"I just don't think we should continue."

"What the hell? We've been together for what months and you just drop me for that-that bitch!"

"Natasha, watch what you say. I knew Rose way before I knew you!" I said, standing up.

"Oh right! So that makes our break-up okay? Like she even gives you the time of day! What the hell does she have that I don't? Huh, Dimitri? I-I thought we had something. Please. _Please._ Don't do this to us." She said, the last part in a whisper. She walked over and placed her hand on my arm.

"Tasha, I'm sorry. I just don't think we will work out, whether Rose was around or not." Tasha stepped back and her face filled with malice.

"Oh and what do you think? She's going to drop her husband and kid for you? I knew you guys had something. I knew that whore was cheating on her husband. He was too good for her anyway."

"Tasha, just stop! This isn't about Rose or anyone else but you and me, and the bottom line is that we're done." And with that I turned around and walked out of the apartment, not once turning back.

That was how I ended up bringing in the new year in a bar, nursing a beer. I was never one to get flat out drunk so I planned on drinking about 2 or 3 then getting a cab home. As the others chanted down and the new year rolled in, I realized that I had one resolution: I didn't know how and I didn't know when, but one way or another I was going to get Roza back.

* * *

**Unknown POV**

Everything was falling into place. My plan was on and in a couple weeks I would be ready to strike. I had stayed for years, hidden in the shadows. No one would see me coming. I hadn't forgotten what had happened over 6 years ago and I am ready to strike. I am ruthless and have mercy for no one especially her. Watch out Rose Hathaway I'm coming for you. I'm ready to seek my revenge.

* * *

**Well I noticed that this is a little shorter than my other chapters, sorry about that. And i know it leaves you with some more questions than answers, so sorry about that too. :)**

**I want to remind people that even if this story is finished when I'm 167 years old (and I' am farrrrr from that), i will not give up on it. I love this story and where its going and I have a vision of how I want it to end. If it seems confusing or slow please bear with me because I know how I want this to go and what I want to happen. Also, if you have any questions feel free to p.m. me or leave a review about what you want me to answer or explain. Just keep in mind that if it tells the story's ending I probably won't give it away.**

**Thank you to me followers, and favoriters. You guys are awesome and always put a smile on my face. :)**

**Thanks guys for reading ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello!**

**Um, I made a small mistake when I was writing in my last chapter. In my unknown pov it said, "I hadn't forgotten what had happened over 5 years ago" Yeah sorry but i got my timeline messed up really it should be about 6 or 7 years ago. Don't worry after updating this chapter I'll go back and fix it, but I just wanted to let you guys know :)**

**Thank you to all my new reviewers: Black Star, Dimkaisshmexy24,invisibleme1835, Do'B, Vampswols4L, Nellyrose1994, Mori Belicov Hathaway, ashleyr2468, Crystal Cipriano, xxsezaxx, MeantForEachOtherRD, xtheseventhcharm, XBeautifulChaosX, and Lnh2y  
**

**Enjoy :)**

* * *

_"We're terribly sorry, is there anyone you can call, seeing as how your a minor, we need someone to come to the police station with you... Ma'am, Ma'am are you still there?"_

_I sunk down into the couch not really believing what the man on the phone had said, hoping that this was all some prank and pretty soon someone was going to yell "Surprise!" but it never happened. I called Aunt Alberta and she must have guessed something was wrong from my voice, since even though I didn't tell her she hurried as quickly as she could to my house and we silently drove to the police station. When we reached there and identified them, I knew that this really wasn't a joke, this was real, as real as it could be. I couldn't hold back the tears that fled from my cheeks as I saw them lying on the table, I felt my knees buckle beneath me and people try to catch me before I hit the ground. I distantly heard Aunt Alberta call my name in alarm asking if I was okay, if there was anything she could do. Could she rewind time, stop what had happened? No, I didn't think so either. _

_I couldn't even describe what I did for the next few weeks. It felt as if time had stopped for me, I didn't feel, I barely ate or slept. Aunt Alberta and Lissa were the only people that I communicated with and even then it was short, one word answers, that held no feeling or emotion. I felt empty inside and wanted to crawl in a hole and die right along with them. I couldn't believe that I was never going to see them again. I couldn't believe that they were never going to see me graduate from high school, or college, never embarrass me in front of my prom date, never make funny jokes at the table that made me laugh, never see me get married or have children. All of that got taken away from them and from me too. However, as the weeks and then months went by I could tell Lissa and especially Aunty Alberta were getting worried about me, I had folded into myself and went through an endless cycle of school and sleep. Aunt Alberta even made me see a psychologist and that's when I decided that I had to hide my emotions and put on a brave face. I was getting really good at it too until about a year later when I met Dimitri Belikov who reminded me of what it felt like to feel and love again. He helped me get over hardest thing in my life: My parent's deaths._

* * *

**Rose POV**

Everything went back to just about "normal" after the kiss. Adrian and I went to work, Stella went to school and I kept the secret under wraps. But I was prepared, the hardest day of the year was about to come the anniversary of my parent's death. I didn't get all worked up about it as I used to, it's been 6 years after all but sometimes I still couldn't shake that depressed feeling that I had never truly gotten over. As to be expected the first year was the hardest. I became terribly depressed and secluded myself from those around me, even though they wanted to help. Other than Alberta and Lissa, Dimitri had been the only person who got truly close to me because I felt as if he really understood. He listened and held me when I needed it most and I believed that helped me to love him so much more. When the day came I went about my day as usual. I had once told Adrian that on this day normality and routine was what I needed, and I truly believed it. The only difference was that Stella's music group was today, and when I went to pick her up I saw she wasn't outside waiting meaning that I had to go inside and get her..which meant I had to face Dimitri, something I hadn't done since he kissed me.

"Stella, we have to go." I said as I entered the class, where her and Dimitri were talking animatedly about some composer.

"Mr. Belikov." I said, nodding at Dimitri.

Stella said bye, and picked up her stuff, I was following her when Dimitri called me. Nope, I so didn't need this. Not now, not today.

"Stella, why don't you go ahead, I have to talk to your mom about something." Dimtiri said.

"No-Dimitri I really have to-"

"Rose-" He said, taking a step towards me. I had turned around, facing him and I kept backing up.

"No-Dimi-"

"How are you feeling today?" He said, with knowing eyes. He remembered what had happened on this day 6 years ago. He kept walking towards me so I kept backing up until I hit the wall.

"I'm, I'm fine. Thank you very much. Now I just really have to-"

"Are you sure, because if you want to talk, I'm here." We were very close to each other, and I was very aware of my hearty pumping loudly in my chest.

"No. No we're not doing this!"I said, a bit angrily.

"What? Doing what?" He said looking thoroughly confused.

"Listen Dimitri what happened when we roller skated was just a one time thing, okay. It will never happen again. We-I- Dimitri I have a husband, and I just don't think it's appropriate to do the things that we're- I mean, that you're doing." I said, everything coming out in a rush. I saw in his eyes that I had really hurt him there, but I refused to back down.

"But you know you kissed me back?"

"What! I did no such thing!" I exclaimed, heat raising up to my cheeks as I remembered his lips on mine. He was right I _had_ kissed him back.

"Yes, you did." He said smiling a bit.

"I did not! Dimitri this isn't a game. You-we-everything has to stop okay." I pushed against him, and walked towards the door.

"Roza, I will always fight for you, I will never give up on us...even if you did." He spoke so softly that I barely heard him. I paused and kept walking, not once turning back.

* * *

**Dimitri POV**

I thought deeply about my New Year's resolution for days afterwards. How was I going to make her see that there should be an _us_? That I had never given up on the hope of getting back together, merely I just pushed it to the back of my mind and pretended that I had. But now I was done pretending and playing games, I wanted my Roza back. I needed her back. We were like two parts of a puzzle, never fully complete unless we were together. I had spent 5 years away from her, wondering what could have been and I didn't want to do it anymore. Of course, my conscience waged against me that I was also planning to take a married woman away from her husband, something that I desperately didn't want to do.

I walked into my apartment after work and turned on the answering machine.

_"Dimka, please call me back. I'm sorry, I'll change, I know we can make it through this. Dimka we were made for each other. I miss you so much and I love you, so please call me back."_

I rolled my eyes, that was Tasha. She had been calling me nearly everyday since I had broken things off with her. At first, I felt a little sympathetic, now it was starting to get on my nerves. I quickly deleted it and listened to the next message.

_"Well my boy, I see that you have taken my words to good use. I don't speak for nothing you know. But your only following half of my words. Think Dimitri think long and think hard, going after Rose is just part of it."_

Even though I had grown up my whole life with Yeva and her cryptic words I still hadn't grown completely used to figuring how she knew things or deciphering what she really meant. I thought back to what she had said when we last seen each other. I remembered her saying that I needed to ask Rose why we broke up but there was the last piece of what she said that confused me still to this day: _Another part of you still lives._ What did she mean? That Rose still cared for me? That her feelings for me hadn't died like she kept saying they did? All of it truly confused me but I supposed that if I was going to get Rose back I had to get her to answer the question that made me the most curious: Why had she left me?

* * *

**Unknown POV**

All plans were in action. I have been waiting for so long and I am ready to show my face. For years I have planned and planned. You have no idea how much planning and anger was fueled into this. When I am done I would be truly done. I would have no regrets and I knew everything would happen the way I planned. I've been watching and listening for a long time and now I'm ready to strike. It would be slow and painful and at the end begging for mercy. Too bad I didn't have any.

* * *

**Hmm well I kinda dropped a bomb didn't I? Did anyone see it coming? **

**Yeah I know this chapter is kind of short to but it's the calm before the storm, and really that's what this chapter and the chapter before it is, because next chapter...well let's just say that's when things will start happening. :) Next update will probably (hopefully) be up sooner because I see a clearing in my schedule in the future, so you guys will probably not have to wait tooo long. Anywhoo, thx guys for reading. I know some of you left reviews thanking me for writing...well let me tell you, this little author teared up a bit. Thank you guys so much for reading, following, reviewing, favoriting, everything. I also saw that my reviews are now at 120! Ohmygosh! Yeaaaaaaa! ;)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello! **

**Thanks to my new reviewers: Dimkaisshmexy24, MeantForEachOtherRD, Vampswols4L, .Reader, Trouble, XxXLost-In-The-CrowdXxX, XBeautifulChaosX, Do'B, and komalpkaurk  
**

******Ok so this is chapter where things are really staring to get going. After two filler chapters, this is what I've been looking forward too. Enjoy :)**

* * *

**Rose POV**

It was one of those mornings. I woke up late, Adrian was at a conference for a couple of days, and then Stella wanted to be difficult which so did not help my mood.

"Come on Stell, put on your clothes. We need to go."

"I don't want to put on those pants!" She said. Usually Stella was a pretty cooperative child, but there were some days that she tested my patience, then combined with how we were running late, well I wasn't a very happy camper right now.

"Listen to me young lady, you will put on those pants! I have changed your outfit three times and I'm not going to change it again. When I come back you have better put on these clothes and be ready to go." I said, anger seeping into my voice.

The car was silent as I drove to school and as she got out neither of us said goodbye. I sighed and continued on my way to work. If I would've known what was to come then maybe I would have done things differently. I would have told her how much I loved her even when we were mad at each other, I would have hugged her goodbye. But I didn't know and I regretted the things that I didn't say. Funny, she wasn't the only person I was doing that with.

* * *

**Dimitri POV**

"Okay class, put away your things then we'll head out to recess." I said.

I opened the door to the playground and they all ran out. After checking that the recess monitor was there, I closed the door, and started to grade the homework that I neglected to do last night. Grading kindergarten homework was not difficult but I found my mind wondering to-of course- Rose. I felt like some kind of lovesick teenager. She filled my mind, thoughts, and dreams. I had racked my brain trying to come up with possible solutions for Yeva's cryptic puzzle. I was in the middle of doing this when someone knocked on the door and I realized that recess was over. I also realized that during the 30 minutes I had graded only one paper. I needed to get a grip. I let the students in and it was when they settled into their seats that I realized she was missing.

"Is Stella still out there?" I asked the class as I opened the door and looked around, she was no where in sight and the recess monitor gave me a confused look.

"One of my students, she's hasn't come back. Is she still out there?" The monitor gave me a look and shook her head.

"Wait, let me check." I quickly recounted my students as the monitor circled around the playground.

"No, no one is out there. Maybe she went to the bathroom or something? I'll go check." The monitor replied.

"Did anyone see Stella on the playground?" I asked the class, it was when everyone shook their head and the monitor came back without a sign of Stella, that I began to get worried.

"Okay, you watch the kids, I'm going to call the principal " I tried to keep the worry out of my voice but it was hard. I was hoping that Stella had walked in and was wandering around the halls.

The principal came into the classroom and I quickly explained the situation. She made a couple calls and the school was put under a lock down while everyone searched for Stella. It took about 30 minutes and then the final call came, she was no where to be found: Stella Ivashkov was missing.

* * *

**Rose POV**

I was making my rounds and checking on patients when I felt my phone vibrate.

"Hello?" I said

"Rose, Rose-"

"Dimitri?"

"Yes, Rose it's me. We need you to come to the school."

"You need to me to come to the school? Has something happened? Is Stella okay?" My heart thudded loudly in my chest. I did not like the tone of Dimitri's voice, it was making me nervous, and not in a good way.

"Rose, Stella-" He stopped and I heard someone's voice in the back ground, "Rose, we just need you to come to the school as fast as you can." He continued.

"Dimitri what's going on? Has something happened?" I received no response. "Dimitri, has some-"

"Rose do you trust me?" He asked, cutting me off.

"Dimitri, what the hell kind of question is that, tell me if something is wrong with my daughter!" I couldn't keep the emotion out of my voice.

"Rose, if you trust me then, please, please just do as I say. Just come to the school as quickly as you can and I'll explain everything." And with that he hung up.

"Damn." I said, as I finished up and quickly drove the the school. "This has better be serious Dimtiri because if it's not-" I never got to finish what I was saying because as I pulled up into the school's parking lot I noticed a vast amount of police cars. My heart thudded into overtime as I parked my car and quickly got out.

"Dimi-I mean Mr. Belikov! I need to see Mr. Belikov!" I said to the person at the front office, who then directed me to his class room. The first thing I noticed when I walked in were the police officers. They walked around the classroom, and were in the playground area.

"Dimitri! Dimitri, what's going on?" He had his back to me and was talking to a woman that I recognized as the principal.

"Rose, something has happened-" He said coming over to me.

"Hi, Ms. Ivashkov, I'm the principal Ms. Scott. Why don't you sit down, we have a bit of news." She guided me to a seat and I took it even though I was about two seconds away from yelling at someone to tell me what was wrong.

"Rose, Stella is gone." Dimitri said, looking down at me with those chocolate, brown eyes.

"Gone?" I echoed, "What do you mean gone?"

"Stella is missing. She went out to recess and never came back. There is no sign of her on the school grounds." he said.

"Missing?" I echoed again. "What do you mean? How could she be- Dimitri where is she?" My words felt like they were stuck in my throat. She couldn't be gone, where is Stella? _Where is my daughter?_

"We're sorry to tell you this Ms. Ivashkov, but what Mr. Belikov is saying is correct. Stella went with the other students to recess but never came back. We put the entire school on lock down but there has been no sign of her. That's when we contacted you and the local police. They are currently doing everything they can to help get her back."

It was finally dawning on me, she was gone. Stella, my baby, was gone. "Oh my God! Oh my God!" I said, starting to pant. "She needs me-Stella needs me. She has asthma, and, and-Oh my God! I can't believe this is happening!"

"Rose. _Roza. _Listen to me, we're going to everything we can to get her back okay? The police is going to help, the school and administrators are going to help, and me," Dimitri said, taking hold of my hands and looking me straight in the eye. "And me, I'm going to be there every step of the way, okay? I'm going to be with you till we get her back safe and sound. Okay?" All I could do was nod dumbly.

"Is there anyone you can call, family friends?" Ms. Scott asked.

"Yes, I should call my husband. He's out of town, but I-I should call him. Excuse me."

I stepped out of the room and called Adrian's cell. It rang and rang and rang until it went to voice mail.

"Adrian, hon-" My voice broke. "Adrian, you need to come home right away. It's Stella. Adrian, Stella's missing. Please call me back when you get this, Then hurry home okay!" I hung up the phone and right in the middle of the hallway, I started to cry. Sobs racked my body and I hugged myself wishing only for Stella's safety right now. I didn't even notice someone come and envelop my body with their own. The only reason I didn't pull away was because his scent was familiar, even after 5 long years.

"Dimitri, do you think we''ll find her?" I asked as he slipped his arms around my waist and I put my head on his chest.

I felt him place a kiss on the top of my head."We have to Rose. We have to and we will."

* * *

**Unknown POV**

"Mommy! Mommy! Where's my mommy? I want to see my mommy!"

"Shh Stella, don't worry you will see your mom in all due time. The plan is working, and in action, thanks for playing your part." I said.

"Where are we going?" She asked

"Don't worry we'll get there soon and then well, we're going to make a little movie."

"A movie?"

"Yes, a movie and you will be the star. Would you like that?"

She thought about it for a minute. "Mommy says not to talk to strangers and you're a stranger."

"I'm not a stranger, I know your mommy. I knew her for a long time, I even knew her mommy and daddy too." I said

"You know my mommy?" She asked quietly.

"Yep, you look a lot like her." I said

"A lot of people say that. No one really says I look like my dad though."

"Hmm really now?"

"Yes." She paused. "Hey mister, Can I get out of these things? They- they hurt." She said gesturing to the ropes I used to tie her down.

"Not yet Stella but in a little while. In a little while we'll get to the house, we'll make the movie and then it'll be all up to your mother's cooperation. Okay?"

She didn't respond and I took that as a good thing. The first few hours had been the worst. She wouldn't stop crying out for her mother and she even put up a fight, the little thing. I could see some of Rose's spirit in her and knew where she got it. I wasn't lying when I said she looked like Rose, she did alot, but then again she also looked like her father. Really, it was a damn shame what I had to do. She was really a bright kid, and very nice, I wasn't gonna kill her though, I had made up my mind about that a long time ago. Rose was the one I wanted and the one I was going to get. Some might argue that I was unfair for going after Rose but really I had disposed of the others a while ago, I was just finishing the job. No one could ever say that I did half a job.

* * *

**Well, I gave you a little shock didn't I? ;) Has anyone figured out some of the clues and answers? I've been reading the reviews and wow, you guys are good. Alot of half-rights :)**

**The next chapter should probably be up soon, you might not have to wait as long, hopefully we'll see :)**

**Thank you to my followers, favoriters, alerters. U guys rock :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello!**

**Thank you to my new reviewers: Do'B, ladierock, Vampswols4L, HersheyRoza, Dimkaisshmexy24, Angelbbaby, MeantForEachOtherRD, invisibleme1835, ashleyr2468, Katie Cipriano, komalpkaurk, Fanfic1Fan, xtheseventhcharm, alanuronkun, lilbitjrfan8, acr421, and CheekyLittleVampire**

**Enjoy ;)**

* * *

**Rose POV**

"Rose." I turned around at the sound of his voice.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." I said before he could ask for the fifteenth thousand time. He gave me a look that said he didn't believe me.

"Why don't you get something to eat? You've been here for a while." He asked.

"Well I'm not exactly hungry and the reason, Dimitri, I've been here for a while is because my house is swarming with cops and I'd rather not get in their way so they can _find my daughter._" I said, anger seeping into my voice. After seeing the look on his face I immediately regretted it, after all he was only trying to help.

"Look Dimitri, I'm sorry. It's just been a long day and I'm tired and we still haven't heard anything and I know everyone's doing their very best, but-but she's out there. Stella's out there alone and terrified and I'm not there and-" I stopped my voice breaking. I turned back to the window again.

"Rose, it's okay, you don't have to apologize. I understand. But Rose, none of this is your fault, you did nothing wrong." He said, coming and standing beside me.

"We had an argument, just before I dropped her off. It was about something stupid, some clothes she didn't want to wear and I had just reached the end of my patience. I yelled at her and when she left we didn't even say goodbye."

"But Rose-"

"No Dimitri you don't understand, because years ago right before my mother died the same thing happened. I had wanted to try this new eye shadow to wear to school and she said no. Eyeliner and mascara she had no problem with but this sparkly eye shadow, she said it wasn't for school. I told her she was being unreasonable and making it a bigger deal than it was. It wasn't the biggest argument we've had but being mad at each other, that's how we ended things, you know? Is this how I'm destined to end things with people?"

"Now Rose we're going to find Stella so you won't be ending anything. And that was only once, okay? Once."

"Once huh? What about the way I ended things with you?" I looked up him. "Dimitri, I left you mad and angry, wanting to know why. Doesn't that bother you?" He paused a bit, caught off guard.

"Well...yes for a while it did bother me, it bothered me a lot. I did want to know why, why you had left. Then after not seeing you for a while it didn't bother me nearly as much, then when I did see you again the question came again. Why? Why would you just leave the way you did?" He stopped and met my gaze.

"I'm sorry Dimitri. I'm so sorry." I whispered.

"Rose. Roza please, just tell me. I promise I won't get mad or-" I flinched at the use of his nickname for me. My phone interrupted him.

"It's Adrian." I said, breathlessly.

"Answer it. I'll see if the officers have found anything." And with that, he was gone.

"Hello?" I said as I answered.

"Hello? Rose-Rose I got your message." The static coming through the phone was horrible.

"Adrian, I can barely hear you. Where are you?"

"Rose, I'm-airport." He said, static clouding his words.

"You're at the airport? When can you come home?"

"That's-problem. There's-snowstorm-no flights. I tried but-delayed."

"Oh my gosh! When do you think you can get here?"

"I don't know. I'll keep trying. How-things?"

"The police don't know. She was taken at school and now they're here, at home, looking at anything that could give them a clue as to where she is. They hooked up a phone system to track calls and stuff, if the kidnapper calls."

"Okay-God I hope she's okay. Keep me posted. I'll-there as soon-I can. I love you."

I sighed into the phone. "Okay. Bye." As soon as I hung up the phone. the doorbell rang.

"I got it." I said to no one in particular as I opened the door.

"Rose. I'm so sorry." Lissa said as I let her in. "I came as soon as you called."

"Oh Lissa, I just don't understand why someone would take her." She had Charlie with her and gave me a hug as she pushed the stroller inside.

"Hey Lissa, glad to see you again, though I wish it were under different circumstances." Dimitri said.

"Don't we all? Christian, would be here but he got really tied up at work and couldn't make it. But he will be here later." She said apologetically. "Have you called Adrian?"

"Yes. He's trying to get a flight but they're having some king of snowstorm so most of the flights are getting delayed."

"Oh sweetie I'm so sorry. Have you eaten, are you hungry?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? I'm fine." I looked at Dimitri. "Have the police found or said anything?"

"No. They are looking into other cases as well for a pattern or something but whoever this person is this is probably the first time they've done something like this. The sergeant said this could be good or bad. Good because a first timer is more likely to make mistakes meaning they'll catch the person faster. Bad because if this is the person's first time, well then it's probably personal and not random."

"Personal? But Stella's only 5, what could she have done to piss off a person so much that they'd kidnap her?" Lissa asked.

"Well, sometimes it's not the child the kidnapper wants but more the parent," Dimitri said.

"Me? What could someone want with me? And why would they want to take her instead of me?"

"Well, it could be Adrian too, and sometimes it's not you they want but something from you. Money? Revenge?"

I sank down into a couch that had been pushed to the side by the officers. "So you're saying Stella could be in danger because of me? But-but I haven't done anything?!"

"Rose, this is just speculations. None of this is actually 100% sure right now. The police are just looking at every prospect."

I sighed, all of it becoming suddenly unbearable. "You know what, right now all I need to do is lie down. I'll just go and take a quick breather." I got up and walked up the stairs to my room.

"You sure you don't need anything?" Lissa asked.

"No it's okay, just come and get me if anything new happens."

Up in my room, I lay on the bed and curled into the pillow. I closed my eyes and tried to drift into sleep but i kept seeing Stella's face and beyond that my parents. I had no clue why I would keep seeing them but I guess one trauma trigerred the other. When I was finally able to drift into sleep (if you could even call it that), I was whisked into the past.

_I was having dinner with the Belikov family, nothing new, except it was the first time since I knew. Ever since I found out I'd been jumpy, tired, and I wouldn't let Dimitri touch me. I knew that it was sooner or later until he figured it out, I mean, I couldn't keep it a secret forever. I hadn't told anyone yet, not Aunt Alberta or Lissa, and it was tearing me apart. It kept me up at night and I also found myself eating less, which wasn't good. How was I even to broach that subject, this topic? I had to face it, I was scared, and in true Rose Hathaway style whenever I was scared of something I sat on it and hid it until it became something I couldn't hide anymore. I went to the bathroom right after dinner, suddenly feeling nauseous. I opened the toilet just in case I had to go but instead all that came out were my pants. I leaned against the wall as sweat broke out on my forehead. What I just wanted to do was go home and sleep. I splashed some cold water on my face before going out. I was surprised to see Yeva waiting patiently outside the door. _

_"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting." I said politely. She said nothing but stared at me with those alert, brown eyes, so similar to Dimitri's and I couldn't look away._

_"Rose, you need to tell him."_

_My heart stared hammering in my chest. How did she know? I hadn't told anyone. "I-I can't." I said, not even bothering to deny it._

_She clasped my hands. "You have been through so much in your young lifetime, and I can still tell you that this isn't it, but Rose hiding from it won't do it any good. Sooner or later you will have to face it. You don't have to do it alone, let the people that want to help you in. They just want to help."_

_I was on the verge of tears, "I don't know how."_

_"Trust. Trust them, trust yourself."_

_It was then that Viktoria stepped into the hallway and said that Dimitri was looking for me. Yeva let go of my hands and walked away but I hadn't forgotten what she had said._

I jolted awake at the memory, sweat coating my forehead. I put up my hand and wiped it away. It was then that I noticed someone had woken me up.

"Rose, the police found something." Dimitri said. His body loomed over me. The hand that had used to gently shake me awake was still on my shoulder.

"What? What time is it?"I said blearily.

"It's a little after one. Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, it was just a dream." I said, trying to shake off my weird feeling. I followed him downstairs where the police were crowded around an object. I looked around and saw Charlie sleeping in his stroller with Lissa and Christian on the couch.

"Rose. They found something that was left on the doorstep." She said.

"Rose, I'm so sorry." Christian said, looking solemn.

"Ms. Ivashkov, this was left on your doorstep." an officer said holding up a disk. "We looked at it for prints but it seems there are none. We're going to plug it into our laptop and see it's contents."

"Okay." I said. Everyone gathered around the screen as the officers put it in.

_"Mommy?! Mommy?!"_

I gasped as an image of Stella popped up on the screen. She was tied with ropes to a chair in an empty room.

_"I don't like this. I don't like this movie."_

_"But you're the star. Just tell her what I said and we'll be done."_ Another voice said, electronically.

Stella started to cry. _"I just want my mommy!"_

_"Okay fine, you brat, jeez i'll do it. Rose if you want to see your little bundle of pride and joy again you will go the park down the street from your house. Don't pretend you don't know which one I'm talking about. You know exactly which one, you and Stella played over there last Saturday. You will go there tomorrow at exactly 12:45 a.m. And I already know you will bring the police so I'll warn you about doing that. I am armed and I am not afraid to dispose of those I don't like. Come alone. Goodnight Rose and sweet dreams."_

And with that the screen and entire laptop shut off.

* * *

**Hehehehehe :) And the plot thickens...**

**One thing the flashbacks, they aren't in consecutive order. Some of them are but one may come before the other. It shouldn't be too confusing though. Some of them are just common sense. You have to meet a person before you go on a date with them...unless it's a blind date, but hey that's a shade of gray :)**

**Thank you to my readers, followers, favoriters :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello!**

**Well, I see I've kept you guys waiting. Sorry about that really. The holidays, and then i went through this weird writer's block Mmm, but now i'm back, with another chapter, ready to deliver.**

**I also just recently found out that this story was nominated for ...wait for it...BEST VA FANFIC OF 2012! Oh my freakin gosh ! That's friggin incredible! Just to be nominated is an honor and i want to thank whoever or whoever(s) nominated me. Thank you so much, I'm so happy, excited, all those adjectives! lol :) I'll tell you guys how to vote at the end of the this chapter.**

**Thank you to all my new reviewers: Vampswols4L, XxXLost-In-The-CrowdXxX , xtheseventhcharm, , Kahlessi10, Rosie Jo ,invisibleme1835, ashleyr2468, Do'B, Dimka's chick, XxXRose-DimitriForeverXxX, CheekyLittleVampire, Nellyrose1994, and .Reader  
**

**I know this chapter has been a long time coming soo...Enjoy:)**

* * *

**Rose POV**

"What the hell?" one of the officers said as he clicked on the keys. "That bastard put a virus on the disc, and when we put it into the laptop he fried it too. Damn."

"You know what?" I said, and all the officers looked my direction. "I would just love to know how he was able to come so close to _my_ house and put this thing on _my_ doorstep, without anyone noticing. My house is swarming with cops for Heaven's sake!" I exclaimed, my voice rising.

"We're so sorry Mrs. Ivashkov. That has been a mystery to us as well, but just know that we are still on top of this case." Sergeant Zeklos, who was in charge of the investigation, said.

"Oh really, how? Has there been any kind of lead or clue. You guys have searched my house, asked me over a million questions! But has anything been found?! Stella's still missing with some creepo in the middle of God knows where. I want my daughter back Sergeant!" I said, my voice and temper escalating. I knew it was unfair to take my anger out on him when I really wanted to take it out on the guy who had my daughter but I just couldn't help it.

"I know you're frustrated Mrs. Ivashkov but please we're doing the best we can. Just look, the kidnapper has given us a clue and now we know where he's going to be. We're going to make a game plan, cops surrounding the area in every nook and cranny. We will not let this guy get away."

I took a deep breath, trying to be as cooperative as I could, but there was just something about what he had said that was bothering me.

"Okay and during all of this, where will I be?" I asked.

"You?" he said, looking surprised. "Well you will be here, waiting-"

"Waiting! I'm done with waiting, and besides that creep said he wanted me there, which means I have to be there."

"And have you be a casualty? Mrs. Ivashkov, I assure you, criminals make threats like this all the time. You really don't have to be there. That's just their way of trying to have some power."

"Sergeant Zeklos. I don't think you understand. It's not a matter of _if_ i'm going to be there. It's a matter of how you are going to fit me in your little game plan because I _am _going to be there. No way will I be sitting at home waiting for the all clear signal."

Now the sergeant looked unhappy, "Mrs. Ivashkov, the closest we can get you is in a van with cops securely off the premises."

I shook my head. "Sergeant, do you have kids?"

"Yes, I do but-"

"But imagine you were in my position okay? Not as a cop but as a parent okay? These past hours have been possibly the worst of my life, and I haven't had such a whoop-de-do life. So please, _please _Sergeant let me be there for my daughter."

He paused, seeming to think about the decision he was about to make. Then he spoke, "Mrs. Ivashkov, I should warn you that things can go wrong out there. You are not armed nor are you a trained officer. We will try to protect you as much as possible but just know that you can be a hostage."

"Thank you, thank you so much Sergeant." I said.

He nodded to me and then addressed the rest of his team. "We have less than 24 hours to make a game plan and decide what we are going to do. Let's get moving."

* * *

_"Janine, you don't seem as worried about this as I am!" My dad exclaimed, his voice rising._

_"Ibriham, what the hell do you mean I'm not worried! This has blown way out of proportion and I admit we weren't prepared for it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to act crazy and make rash decisions!"_

_"I'm not making rash decisions, I'm protecting my family!" My dad replied._

_It was late at night and I had just walked out of my room and into the kitchen to get a glass of water when I heard the arguing. My parents didn't exactly argue much, at least not very seriously unless you count the sarcastic quips they threw at each other. But this was different, this type of arguing made me a bit worried, not because of the arguing itself but the context. My dad was a detective and my mom was a cop turned lawyer. They were exceptional at their jobs but I understood that they their jobs did occasionally put them in the line of fire. Whether it was a criminal who had a gun or an angry client that had it out for the lawyer that went against them. At that moment I decided not to worry too much and instead thought it would possibly blow over. For the first couple of weeks I did notice a sort of weirdness among my parents. They were a bit more protective of me-dropping me off at Lissa's house instead of me just riding my bike there, etc.- but then in coming weeks they both relaxed and we went back to how it was before. Naively I thought it was all over and forgotten. But, you must always remember that when something major happens whether to you or someone else, someone will always remember. Whether it's one person or multiple they will always feel the pain or the joy. They will always remember how it felt for them at that moment or time. Even as time goes on, people die, people are born that one person will never forget._

_Never._

* * *

**Rose POV**

I must have dozed off or something again, because the next thing I knew Charlie's cries were jolting me awake.

"Sorry." Lissa said, looking at me apologetically as she took him out of his stroller and cradled him in her arms.

"It's okay." I said, running my hands through my hair and spotting Dimitri leaning against a wall. I got up from where I had been napping on the couch and walked over to where he was. He wasn't outright dozing like I had been but I could see the fatigue etched across his features.

"Dimitri, you know you can go home. We're not holding you here."

He shrugged, "It's the least I could do. And besides, I'm fine."

"Dimitri," I paused, collecting my thoughts. "You don't have to feel guilty, it's not your fault."

His eyes widened, "How can you still do that?" he asked

"Do what?"

"Read me like a book?"

I smiled, "If memory serves, it was usually the opposite way around. I could keep nothing from you."

All at once he frowned, and I immediately regretted my words. "Nope, except the thing that mattered most." He said so quietly, I doubted if I even heard it.

"How about I go home, freshen up and then come back? It's nearly seven." He said, looking at the clock on the wall.

I nodded as he left. "He's leaving?" Lissa's voice said, coming behind me.

I flinched. "Goodness, thanks for scaring me to death. And no he's coming back."

"Hmm." Lissa said as she quirked a brow.

"What?" I said.

"Nothing."

"Liss, I'm really not in the mood for riddles at the moment. So whatever you have to say, please just spit it out."

"Really, it's nothing." She said, walking away and not looking at me.

I sighed again as my stomach growled and decided I would put my frayed nerves and idle hands to work by making breakfast for myself, Lissa, Christian, all the cops in my house, and of course Dimitri, when he came back almost an hour later, earning me another eyebrow raise form Lissa which I decided to pointedly ignore.

* * *

**Rose POV**

It had been a long day for all of us. Eventually Lissa and Christian went home to freshen up and came back. I took a couple naps during the day but wasn't able to go into a full sleep. Every time I felt myself on the brink of sleep, I would hear Stella's frightened voice from the video prompting me back into consciousness. The only good news came from Adrian who had called and said the storm has simmered down and he was able to get on a flight tonight. Tonight. Tonight I would be going along with the officers to confront this creep. I'm not going to lie, I was afraid but the thought that kept me going was picturing Stella safe and sound back home. The morning passed, afternoon came, and then soon it was night, ten forty-five to be exact and I was getting ready to head out with the officers.

"Mrs. Ivashkov," Sergeant Zeklos said, for what had to be the fiftieth time, "You really don't have to do this. Everything will be fine. You don't know what could happen out there."

"None of us do, Sergeant, but I made up my mind that I was going to be there and I am. Nothing's going to stop me."

He grunted a response as he and his men suited up. I was given a bullet-proof vest, truly emphasizing the danger I was going to be placing myself under, but at this point I didn't care, Stella was worth it.

"Rose, please be careful." Lissa said as I headed out. Her, Christian, and Charlie were going to be staying here at the house, with a couple officers waiting here just in case. Surprisingly, Dimitri would also be coming along and would wait in the van that Sergent Zeklos had tried to get me to stay in. I didn't know how he had got Zeklos to agree to him coming along and I was too nervous to ask but a part of me was glad he was coming along. It soothed me in a weird way, and even though I was a long way from feeling calm, knowing he wouldn't be that far away made me feel semi-better.

The ride there was tense, I felt as if my heart was in my throat. We pulled up in the park, and Zeklos took out the map that he and the other offiicers had worked on all day. He went over the plan again, exit routes to take just in case something happened etc. the park was pretty big which was one of the reasons that I continually took Stella to it. It had the usual jungle-gym and other stuff like other parks and it also had a walking/bike-riding sidewalk path lined with trees. Also in the park there was a circle garden area filled with trimmed grass statues, something that Stella also wanted to see when we came. I was going to be waiting there and officers would be in disguise within the trees lining the area. According to Sergeant Zeklos I would not be alone even if it appeared I was.

"Roza," Dimitri said as I got out of the van. "Please be careful and come back in one piece."

"Comrade, this is going to be a walk in the park." I said, using an old resort of joking to cover my emotions.

Dimitri, however, saw right through it. He took a step towards me and cupped my face in his hands. "Roza, please, she needs you... I need you. Come back." And with that he placed a kiss to my lips, so soft I barely felt it and would've probably even doubted that it happened. He retreated back into the van, leaving me stunned.

"Mrs. Ivashkov, right this way." An officer who I hope hadn't seen anything, said, guiding me into the park. While we caught up to the other officers and continued on the journey Zeklos began filling me with information to what I was to do if anything went wrong. I had also been giving an ear piece along with the other officers so that they would be able to hear anything that happened and vice-versa. By the time everyone was set in their places it was 11:55. Five minutes and I would see the creep who had my daughter. Five minutes and hopefully I would have my daughter back. I was seated on a bench in the middle of the garden. The air was still. I took a deep breath and waited.

It was exactly five minutes later when I felt an arm around my neck.

"Stay right where you are" A voice said when I tried to move.

"What? How did you-"

"Shh." The voice said again.

I opened up my mouth to scream, my lungs filled with air, I was prepared to fight.

And then the world went black.

* * *

**Well thank you guys again for reading. Reviews are also always welcome. To vote for the Best VA fanfic of the year please visit Nance-chan's profile. There will be information to vote etc.**

**Thanks to all my reviewers, followers, favoriters, possible voters;) **


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello!**

** *Gets out from hiding behind Dimitri and steps forward.***

** *No more throwing fruit! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!***

**Well first off let me sincerely apologize for taking forever to upload. I've just been super busy and this story was put on the back-burner for the time being. But now i'm back and fired up again!**

**Thanks to my reviewers from last chapter: Vampswols4L, Roza-Dimka-Reader, Tumarishima, Bookworm695, XxXRose-DimitriForeverXxX,Dimka's chick, Nellyrose1994, invisibleme1835,Stephieroxful, anime9stars , bboop12, and meemzy **

**I will not keep you guys from reading this chapter anymore soooooo...Enjoy:)**

* * *

** Dimitri POV**

To say I felt bad would have been an understatement. Not only did I feel bad, I felt horrible. I felt guilty. I could only imagine how Rose felt and then I went back to feeling guilty all over again. I had gone with her to her house along with the cops as they searched her house for evidence or any clue that would alert them as to who the abductor was. I tried to help but mostly felt in the way and of no use to anyone. Stella was abducted under _my_ watch. Even though it was a recess monitor watching the kids I still felt responsible. Feeling inadequate I went to go see if Rose was okay. She was staring out a window, her arms folded, shoulders tense.

"Rose." I said, approaching her.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." She said. I gave her a look, to show I didn't believe her.

"Why don't you get something to eat? You've been here for a while." I said, trying to be helpful.

"Well I'm not exactly hungry and the reason, Dimitri, I've been here for a while is because my house is swarming with cops and I'd rather not get in their way so they can _find my daughter._" she said, frustration seeping into her voice. I unconsciously flinched, again feeling the guilt. I opened my mouth to respond to her but she cut me off.

"Look Dimitri, I'm sorry. It's just been a long day and I'm tired and we still haven't heard anything and I know everyone's doing their very best, but-but she's out there. Stella's out there alone and terrified and I'm not there and-"

"Rose, it's okay, you don't have to apologize. I understand. But Rose, none of this is your fault, you did nothing wrong." _If anyone's to blame, it's me._

"We had an argument, just before I dropped her off. It was about something stupid, some clothes she didn't want to wear and I had just reached the end of my patience. I yelled at her and when she left we didn't even say goodbye."

"But Rose-"

"No Dimitri you don't understand, because years ago right before my mother died the same thing happened. I had wanted to try this new eye shadow to wear to school and she said no. Eyeliner and mascara she had no problem with but this sparkly eye shadow, she said it wasn't for school. I told her she was being unreasonable and making it a bigger deal than it was. It wasn't the biggest argument we've had but being mad at each other, that's how we ended things, you know? Is this how I'm destined to end things with people?"

"Now Rose we're going to find Stella so you won't be ending anything. And that was only once, okay? Once." I said, trying to console her.

"Once huh? What about the way I ended things with you?"she said looking up at me, those big brown eyes filled with pain, "Dimitri, I left you mad and angry, wanting to know why. Doesn't that bother you?"

I paused, unsure on how to respond. I decided to tell the truth.

"Well...yes for a while it did bother me, it bothered me a lot. I did want to know why, why you had left. Then after not seeing you for a while it didn't bother me nearly as much, then when I did see you again the question came again. Why? Why would you just leave the way you did?" I stopped, aware I was rambling, and looked down at her.

"I'm sorry Dimitri. I'm so sorry." she whispered. In that moment I wanted nothing more than to take her, hold her closely, and tell her everything was going to be alright. Tell her that she didn't have to worry. We were going to find Stella, We_, us,_ would be okay. But I couldn't do that for countless reasons. For one, she was married, that little thing that I kept forgetting. Also as much as I hated to admit it, I _didn't _ know if Stella would be found. I sure hoped she would be but neither of us knew for sure and I think a little part of Rose knew that too. So instead I took this as a chance to ask her what I desperately wanted to know.

"Rose. Roza please, just tell me. I promise I won't get mad or-" And of course, her phone started ringing.

"It's Adrian." She said looking down at her screen

"Answer it. I'll see if the officers have found anything." I didn't want to stick around to hear that conversation. Rose telling her _husband_ that their _daughter _was missing. I ran a hand through my hair. I could kick myself. How could I let my personal emotions for Rose come through at a moment like this? Her daughter was missing and here I was selfishly forcing my emotions on her. I sighed and decided to actually go see what the officers had found.

I found them going through Stella's room. The officers had explained to us that it was possible Stella may had come in contact with her abductor and not know it. By sorting through any of her stuff, like pictures or anything of the such, they were hoping to gain some clues as to who the person was. It was in there that I found Sergeant Zeklos.

"Hi sir, Rose and I were wondering if you have found anything new? Any possible leads?"

The sergeant shook his head, "Unfortunately no. Not at the moment. My team here and back in the precinct is joining forces and we haven't come up with anything out of the ordinary. We've been also looking into other cases as well to see any similarities but no luck, and that could be good or bad. Good because a first timer is more likely to make mistakes meaning we'll be on their tail. Bad because if this is the person's first time, then it's probably personal and not random. In that case we've been pouring through her room, getting a feel of this family, even searching through the family's bank records in case it was possibly financially motivated."

"Financially motivated?" I asked, "So you think someone took Stella as some kind of reward?"

"Well in my years of experience abductors rarely take the children, especially ones as young as Stella, for the children themselves. Sometimes it's for money, sometimes for revenge. Usually only the true sickos take the children for the children."

I nodded, "I see."

"But let me just tell you something between you and me, I didn't want to say anything to Mrs. Ivashkov because it could really upset her," He paused, looking around, "But let's just hope we find this kid within the 48 hour window because then it could turn really ugly, really fast."

My eyes widened, "Oh God." I said, not even wanting to think about it.

"Oh yes, Mr. Belikov. I know you as a teacher understand these sort of_ things. _But let's just hope it doesn't come to that. Now excuse me_._"

I moved aside as he went back into the room, sick to my stomach. I heard the doorbell ring and went to tell Rose about my chat with the sergeant, minus the last piece.

The new comer was Lissa and her and Rose were talking when I walked into the living room.

"Hey Lissa, glad to see you again, though I wish it were under different circumstances." I said.

"Don't we all? Christian, would be here but he got really tied up at work and couldn't make it. But he will be here later. Have you called Adrian?" she asked Rose.

"Yes. He's trying to get a flight but they're having some king of snowstorm so most of the flights are getting delayed." Rose replied.

"Oh sweetie I'm so sorry. Have you eaten, are you hungry?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? I'm fine. Have the police found or said anything?" she asked, her question directed at me.

"No. They are looking into other cases as well for a pattern or something but whoever this person is this is probably the first time they've done something like this. The sergeant said this could be good or bad. Good because a first timer is more likely to make mistakes meaning they'll catch the person faster. Bad because if this is the person's first time, well then it's probably personal and not random."

"Personal? But Stella's only 5, what could she have done to piss off a person so much that they'd kidnap her?" Lissa asked

"Well, sometimes it's not the child the kidnapper wants but more the parent,"

"Me? What could someone want with me? And why would they want to take her instead of me?" Rose asked

"Well, it could be Adrian too, and sometimes it's not you they want but something from you. Money? Revenge?" I said, echoing the sergeant's theories

"So you're saying Stella could be in danger because of me? But-but I haven't done anything?!" she said, frantically.

"Rose, this is just speculations. None of this is actually 100% sure right now. The police are just looking at every prospect." I said, not wanting to upset her.

"You know what, right now all I need to do is lie down. I'll just go and take a quick breather." Rose said, getting up from the couch and going upstairs.

"You sure you don't need anything?" Lissa asked.

"No it's okay, just come and get me if anything new happens." she said, before slipping into her room. the door closing with a final thud.

"Oh God, poor Rose." Lissa said

"I know, I just wish there was another way I could comfort her. She just-she won't let me in, and then she blames herself."

Lissa sighed, "Rose has always been like that. Tough around the edges but delicate on the inside. She lets few people in, but once you're in, you get to see that delicate side."

"I wish she would let me in."

"You are in." she said, looking at me, something unreadable in her eyes. I remembered that Rose and Lissa had been really close when we had been dating, more like sisters than friends.

"No." I said, shaking my head. "I _was_ in. She threw me out."

"To protect you." Lissa said softly. All of a sudden a bell went off in my head. Could it be possible? Would Lissa know?

As if reading my mind she continued, "Whatever Rose's secrets are, you have to ask her Dimitri, not me."

I opened my mouth to speak but I was surprised realizing I had nothing to say. Lissa gave me a small smile.

* * *

It was a couple hours later. Christian had joined us, and the officers were still combing through everything they could find. It wasn't until a little after one, that the officers suddenly all assembled downstairs a laptop on the table, and I was told to go wake Rose up.

I slipped into her bedroom when I heard her mumbling.

"Baby...sorry...Can't I-sorry...trust...mmm...sorry" She was saying, with a few other incomprehensible things. I moved toward her and put my hand on her shoulder.

"Roza, Roza, you have to wake up."

She jolted awake, confusion in her eyes before recognition dawned. "Rose the police found something." I said.

"What? What time is it?" She asked, confusion coating her voice.

"It's a little after one. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it was just a dream." She said, following me downstairs.

"Rose. They found something that was left on the doorstep." Lissa said, urgently

"Rose, I'm so sorry." Christian said, his voice grave.

"Ms. Ivashkov, this was left on your doorstep." an officer said holding up a disk. "We looked at it for prints but it seems there are none. We're going to plug it into our laptop and see it's contents."

"Okay." I said. Everyone gathered around the screen as the officers put it in.

_"Mommy?! Mommy?!" _No one was prepared for the image of Stella tied to a chair with ropes. Her voice hysterical and frantic. Beside me Rose gasped, stepping forward to get a better look. An electronic voice commanded Stella to speak but when she began to cry the voice grew agitated and took over. It told Rose where to meet if she wanted to see Stella again and when the video was over the entire computer shut off.

"What the hell?" one of the officers said as he clicked on the keys. "That bastard put a virus on the disc, and when we put it into the laptop he fried it too. Damn."

It was then, that I think something snapped in Rose. She was pissed, _very _pissed.

"You know what?" she said, all of the officers' attentions turning to her, "I would just love to know how he was able to come so close to _my_ house and put this thing on _my_ doorstep, without anyone noticing. My house is swarming with cops for Heaven's sake!" she exclaimed, her voice rising in anger.

"We're so sorry Mrs. Ivashkov. That has been a mystery to us as well, but just know that we are still on top of this case." Sergeant Zeklos said, quite calmly.

The Sergeant and Rose proceeded to go back and forth while Rose persuaded him to let her go along with the other officers per the abductors instructions. Meanwhile, I sat back in awe. Again I noted how different Rose was from when we were teenagers. Rose had always been tough but her parent's death had shook her world, leaving her fragile and broken. Watching her right now, fighting to be there for her daughter, her fierceness spoke volumes. She had turned into this amazing, powerful, dedicated woman, and now more than ever I regretted not trying more to save our relationship back in the past. By the time Rose and Zeklos were done, Rose had succeed in persuading him and followed along to learn the plan they would be taking.

* * *

A couple of hours later I took Rose's urging to heart and decided to go home, freshen up and come back.

"Dimitri, you know you can go home. We're not holding you here." she had said, coming over to where I had been leaning against a wall.

"It's the least I could do. And besides, I'm fine." I said, echoing her earlier words.

"Dimitri, you don't have to feel guilty, it's not your fault."

My eyes widened, "How can you still do that?"

"Do what?" she asked

"Read me like a book?"

"If memory serves, it was usually the opposite way around. I could keep nothing from you." she said, a small smile on her face.

"Nope, except the thing that mattered most." I said, quietly.

"How about I go home, freshen up and then come back? It's nearly seven."

She nodded and I went home. At home, I showered and changed my clothes, as an idea formed in my head. I told it to Zeklos when I arrived back at Rose's house.

"Wait-Didn't you hear what I told Rose? She was an exception and only because she is Stella's mother-"

"I know, I know, but I did hear you also telling Rose that you could have her in some sort of van."

Zeklos paused knowing I had indeed back him into a corner. He looked at me skeptically, "Okay Belikov, you can come along. But let me be clear, you will not step outside than van or I will arrest you for trespassing, do you understand?"

And that's how I ended up essentially tagging along on Stella's rescue mission. We arrived at the park, everyone tense, just hoping that everything would go according to plan and the bastard would be caught.

"Roza," I said to her as she got out of the van. "Please be careful and come back in one piece."

"Comrade, this is going to be a walk in the park." she said, using jokes to cover her nervousness.

"Roza, please, she needs you... I need you. Come back." I said, cupping her face with my hands and placing a soft kiss on her lips, before I retreated back into the van.

In the van there were various amounts of screens and monitors giving me and the other officers an eye view of the entire park. All of the officers out in the park and Rose also had ear pieces so we in the van could hear everything and everyone out there could hear each other as well. I looked at the clock 11:55. I took a deep breath and told myself that nothing would go wrong, we had skilled officers out there and there were also plans set in place if anything went wrong. We would catch this guy and then Rose and Stella would be safe.

Boy, was I ever wrong.

12:01- Rose is on the screen, staring off into the distance.

12:02-There's someone there but it's _not_ Rose.

"What the hell?" one of the officers says next to me. "

"Who is that? " I ask

"Guys can we get a look at that. Approach the body, slowly, carefully." Zeklos, who is also inside the van, says.

"Is that Rose?" I ask, not wanting to believe my eyes.

"Rose? Rose! Can you hear us?" Another of the officers, who's in charge of head phones asks.

All the while we see the officers approach the body, that replaced Rose's.

"The only thing I hear is static." The head phones operator says to Zeklos.

"Pin-point the head-phone's GPS now!" Zeklos shouts.

"Wait," I say, everything dawning on me. "I know who that is."

"We're approaching the body and it's..."

"That's Stella!" I say frantically

"It seems as if it's the missing girl." One of the officers on the monitor says.

And true to his -and my- word the body that sits where Rose's once was is Stella Ivashkov.

"Now where is your mother?" The officer says as he takes Stella into his arms.

* * *

**Rose POV**

Unsurprisingly I woke up, with a horrible headache. Not even headache, more like body ache. My whole body felt like I had been run over by a truck, and not those toy ones that Charlie plays with. _Charlie. Stella. Stella!_

All of a sudden it's like I'm awake, painfully so. I remember what happened the last time I was conscious and the next thing i know I'm calling out for her. For Stella.

"Stella! Stella!" I scream I try to get up but my hands are tied down, tied down to a chair with ropes, just like the one I had seen in the video, instead that time it had been used on my daughter. Suddenly, I was furious.

"Come out and face me you son of a bitch!" I said, my body shaking with anger. Then I started to scream. Scream loud and scream hard while I uttered every curse word I could think of. My eyes searching for a way out, any way out.

"Screaming won't help you Rose." the electronic voice said.

"Who's there?" I said. My head whips around to look around the room.

"Ha! It's no use, I'm not there...or am I?"

"Stop playing with me and face me, you jerk! You're just a coward who preys on innocents. Where's my daughter you psycho? Face me!"

"Please child, innocent, you are not. If you were, you wouldn't be in this problem right now, now would you?"

"I am innocent! I have done nothing wrong!" I yell.

"Nothing wrong! Only lie to the one you love, the one nearest to you. Think you can just get away and escape. You know what you did!" the voice yells, no longer cool and calm as it had been. I'm open my mouth to yell another retort but then I think over their words and I become chilled.

"No words, huh? Not so big and bad after all."

"Who are you?" I ask, my voice low, because I, Rosemarie Hathaway Ivashkov, am scared for the first time in a long time.

"I am your worst nightmare."

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Leave me some love:)**

**Thanks as always to my reviewers, favoriters, and followers **


	15. Chapter 15

**Hello! Sorry again! These last couple of months I have just been so busy with school and projects and just life! Anyway, I'm back and you can definitely reply on way faster updates!**

**Thanks to my new reviewers: , Jennifer, BlueBerryMuffin (whose name I just love!), LovelyBordeaux, BlueBerryLove, FantasyAddict24, Nellyrose1994, Dimka's chick, SeyaMyv, RozaNessa, Do'B, paissley, Tumarishima, invisibleme1835, XxXRose-DimitriForeverXxX, FantasyAddict24, peggy, bboop12, Vampswols4L, and Roza-Dimka-Reader  
**

**Also there was a guest that on April 8 posted a review saying that they were very sick and i just really hope you feel better even if it was a bijillion months ago, please contact me again to tell me how you're doing.**

**Enjoy! ;)**

* * *

**Dimitri POV**

"Mr. Belikov, where's my mommy?" Those were the first words out of Stella's mouth since we had found her in the park.

_"That's Stella." I said frantically._

_"It seems as if it's the missing girl." One of the officers on the monitor says._

_And true to his -and my- word the body that sits where Rose's once was is Stella Ivashkov._

_"Now where is your mother?" The officer says as he takes Stella into his arms._

After taking her from the park Stella was immediately taken to the nearest hospital where she could be checked properly for any harm. I stayed with her the whole way, from the ambulance car to the hospital bed where she was now. Up until now it had scared me that she hadn't said anything. Her eyes just looked around taking in everything going around her, betraying nothing. Her fingers, however, clung to mine with a nearly unbreakable grasp, a strong-ness that surprised me for a 5 year old. On the way to the hospital I had called Lissa to break the unfortunate news that even though we had found Stella, Rose was now missing. She assured me that she would meet us at the hospital and that she would pack a bag for Stella. The doctors were skeptical at the state of Stella's body so after a series of different tests she was placed in a room to stay overnight for observation. I had asked the doctors why she wouldn't talk and they said that she was probably in shock. Well, I would be too if I was her.

I tuned back to the present to answer her question. "I don't know hon, but the police are doing everything they can to find her, just like we found you."

She looked away from me and at the wall instead, her eyes blank. Physically there was little harm done to Stella. Mostly all she had were bruises from the ropes used to tie her up and red eyes from crying. Emotionally, well that was where the doctors had been worried.

"To go through a thing like that, an abduction, at such a young age, well there's a number of things that can come as a result." the doctor had told me when I questioned him about Stella's condition.

"She's been through a lot. What she needs are familiar, friendly, faces around her and comfort. Mostly comfort. Right now she's also gonna need a lot of rest to recover and we just want to keep her here to see if there's anything the tests missed that can show up while she sleeps. We don't think there will be any problems, but we just want to make sure."

"Are they gonna find her?" she asked, in a voice so tiny and cracked that I just wanted to hold her in my arms and shield her from the world.

"Of course they're gonna find her, and when they do you can play that new piece for her on the piano that you've been practicing." I said.

She said nothing else and after a little while her eyes dropped and she settled into a sleep. I rubbed my eyes, my body starting to feel the fatigue taking over after the days stress, but I refused to let it over power me, instead remembering that even though I had promised Stella we would find her I really wasn't sure. Lissa knocked on the door a little while later and I could see that I wasn't the only one fighting fatigue and emotions. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying and her usually bright smile was dull and then became a frown when she took in Stella's sleeping body.

"Oh my gosh, who would do such a thing?" She asked, while stroking Stella's hair. "I just don't understand." she said, her voice nearly a whisper.

"What happened after they found her? I knew you had to go but..."

"Well, they put the park on lock down and searched everywhere but at the end there was no Rose or abductor. They wanted to question Stella tonight, but her doctors don't believe that's the best idea until tomorrow when hopefully she'll be a little more recovered." I said

Lissa sighed and shook her head. "They want to question me too. They barely let me go, but I urged that I just had to see her. They are delving more into Rose's life. They figured whoever took Stella used her to get to Rose. Now they have to find out why someone would want Rose. I want to be there but I want to be here and I just..."

"Lissa, it's fine, you can go. I'll be here for Stella."

"Rose-Rose was always the strong one between the two of us. Even when her parents died she kept on going. I don't know what I would've done if that had been me. I love her, she's more than just my friend, she's my sister, my family...I don't know what I would do if..." Lissa's words were broken off by a sob.

"Lissa, Lissa, listen to me," I said giving her a hug, "We're going to find her, just like how they found Stella, they'll find Rose okay? Now in the mean time you have to be strong, just like Rose is, because if you're not...we'll if we're not strong for her, ultimately we let her down okay?"

She nodded and wiped her tears on a tissue. She assured me she was okay to go back to Rose's house by herself and I told her to text me when she had gotten there. She left and the text came when she reached there. I sighed and sunk down into one of the chairs. I must have dozed off, because the next thing I know I was waking up to crying.

"No- don't hurt me! Not, not my mommy!" I looked around the room and then it settled on Stella's bed. I quickly got up from the chair to see if she was alright. Stella was curled up into a ball, her whole body shaking like she was placed in a snow-storm without any clothes, her eyes were squeezed shut and tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Nooo!" She sobbed. "Please-!"

"Stella," I said, taking her out of the bed and into my arms, curdling her closely to my chest. "Stella you can wake up. It was just a dream you're here, you're safe now." As I said this I held her closely with one arm and stroked her hair with the other.

"You're safe now. We're here, don't worry." I cooed again, in her ear. Her body slowly un-rolled itself, her head rested on my shoulder, her tremors slowly subsiding, the sobbing becoming quieter.

"Don't worry, I'm here, you don't have to worry. You're okay, I'm here now." I don't know how long we stayed like that, I think maybe until the crying fully stopped and then even after that I continued stroking her hair and holding her close, naively wishing that with my arms I could help shield her from the world.

* * *

"I not really that hungry" she said, pushing away her breakfast

"Stell, you have to eat." I said

"I just don't feel hungry."

"I know, but try to put a little something in your stomach." She eyes the cereal, toast, and banana.

"I would really like a doughnut." she said in a tiny voice, peeking at me.

"A doughnut?" I asked, smiling. _Just like her mother._

"A chocolate one...please."

I was able to get a nurse who contacted the cafeteria staff and Stella was able to get her doughnut. She ate it happily while I explained what the police were going to come in and do.

"Thank you Mr. Belikov." She said after she finished with the doughnut.

"No problem. Now Stella, we need to talk about what the police are going to come and do. They are going to come in and ask you a few questions about...your abdu-I mean the bad person that took you. Are you okay with that?"

The smile vanished from her face. "Will it help mommy?" she asked.

"Yes, it will a lot."

"And then they'll find her?"

I paused, "Yes, they'll try."

Stella nodded and we waited for the officers. Minutes later, the nurse escorted two detectives into the room. Upon seeing them Stella grabs my hand and holds it tightly within hers like she did last night. I try my best to give her a reassuring smile to show her that its going to be okay.

"Hi Stella, Mr. Belikov, my name is Detective Johnson and this is my partner Detective Hyland but you can call me Julia, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Stella shakes her head and both detectives take out notepads. "Okay, well let's start with what happened at school and how you were taken away. Can you tell me what happened?"

"I was playing in the sand box, because it was free time-"

"Were you by yourself? Detective Johnson interrupts.

"Yes, I like the sand box." Detective Johnson gives Stella a smile."I was playing when a man comes up to the gate-"

"What did he look like?"

"He was tall and had black hair." Stella responds

"Hmm I see, do you remember anything else like what color his eyes were or how old he looked, or even what he was wearing, that would all help alot sweetie." Johnson asks.

Stella closes her eyes as if to remember, "He was kind of old like older than my daddy, he had...green eyes, I think, but-but I don't remember what he was wearing...I'm sorry." she adds in a small voice.

"No hon, that's fine, don't worry, what else happened?"

"He said that he had to come and get me, that my mom was waiting for me in front of the school. I said that my mom would have to go through the front office because that's how it always happens and he said it was okay, that he was a police officer and Mr. Belikov had said it was okay."

"Wait, he said he was a police officer?" Detective Hyland asks.

"Yes, he even showed me his badge, that's why-that's why I went with him because mommy always said that police was good."

_What a monster._ I thought

"Okay and then what happened?"

"He opened the gate for me and we went to the front of the school, but I didn't see mommy and I was going to tell him that when he put tape on my mouth and shoved me inside a van."

"Can you describe the van? Did he put a blind-fold on you? Did you see or know where you were going?"

"The van was big and white. He didn't put a blind-fold on me but I didn't really know where we were going. We drove for a long time, a really long time, and I tried to get out of the ropes but they were tight and I just-I just couldn't get out."

"I'm so sorry sweetie, I really am. Can you tell us anything else about where you went? Was it a house?"

"Yes, it was a big house on a big open field. When we stopped I tried to run but there was no other houses just trees and grass. I asked him if he had any neighbors and he said not for miles and miles."

"What color was the house? Do you remember? What about where he put you inside the house?"

"The house was yellow-I think? At first he put me in the basement and he strapped me to a chair because he said we were making a movie, but I didn't like it. After that he let me go anywhere in the house, I just couldn't get out, everything was locked, I was trapped. I just-I just wanted to go home. I just wanted my mommy." She said, and then she started crying. I encircled her in my arms and held her while she sobbed, similar to last night.

"Are we done?" I asked the officers.

"Yes, we're done. I think we have everything that we need." Johnson said. "Stella, " she said walking over to her, "You helped us so much, you're a great girl and I promise you we will catch the bad man and get your mom, understand?" Stella nodded weakly.

"She was right, you really did a great job. I know it was hard for you." I said, once the officers left.

She opened her mouth to respond but I never got to hear what it was because the door burst in with a very unexpected visitor.

"Stella!"

"Daddy?"

Adrian Ivashkov rushed toward his daughter and I carefully put her in his arms.

"I'm just so glad to see you're okay-"

"Daddy where were you-"

"I'll just step outside." I said, but neither heard me as I left the room and gave them their well-deserved father-daughter time.

* * *

**Rose POV**

"Please." I beg again, "Do what you want to me, but just let Stella go, leave her alone. Please!"

"Rosemarie." the voice says, "Shut up."

Suddenly I'm once again filled with rage, "Shut up? You want me to shut up when you have me stuck in God know's where! My daughter is God knows where! You sicko! I just can't..." and then I scream. I hoping that with my scream someone, anyone will help me.

As if reading my thoughts the voice responds, "Rosemarie, cut that out all you're doing is ruining your voice. This room is soundproof no one can hear you."

"You son of a bitch!" I yell once more.

"Screaming profanity won't help your current situation"

"Like hell, it won't." I spit out.

"My, my, such a potty mouth, reminds me of someone. Hmm oh yes, I remember now, you're darling mother, Janine. How is she doing?"

The mention of my long-dead mother makes my blood run cold, and my heart beats a little faster in my chest.

"Hmm nothing to say huh?"

"How do you know my mother?" I ask, hoping my voice sounds menacing and that the trembling won't show.

"Janine and I go way back, we used to work a case together, but then...well you know your mother and how she gets. She lied to me, and that's just something I can't stand! The lying! It's sick and wrong!" The voice yells, no longer cool and collected.

"But you know all about that Rose. You know all about lying to save your ass! Now imagine how people will feel if your little secret comes out huh? That's right, I know the little baggage that you've been dragging around for the last 5 or 6 years?"

I swallow. _How does this person know all of these things?_ "You don't know anything about me." I say

"Oh but that's where you're wrong Rose, I know everything about you. I know about your parents, I know about your daughter, I know about her dad, I know everything about you!"

"What do you want?" I yell.

"A number of things. First, for all these lies that you've wrapped yourself in to stop. But I've been watching and you're incapable of stopping, so that leaves me to stop things for you."

"What are you talking about?" I ask, because I really don't like the way things are going. I could really be dealing with a crazy person here.

"Well I'm going to kill you. That's the only way for the lies to stop. Also, killing you will get rid of the pain. The pain that consumes your life, that keeps you from moving on, from doing anything."

_I cant believe this! This person's planning on killing me! Their crazy! _"But killing me, it won't make the pain go away." I say, trying to reason.

"Yes it will." they reply, dead-pan. My heart thuds even more in my chest.

"But-"

"Look, I've already made up my mind. You're going to die."

"No! Wait-" I yell.

"Good-morning Rosemarie." the voice says before I hear the click of the loudspeaker go off. That click shoves me into a world of silence and again I rake the room trying to get a way out.

"Wait!" I say, after a moment. I'm afraid they won't answer me until I hear the voice, "Yes?"

"You say you don't like lies, but shouldn't I see you, see your face. Right now you're lying to me by hiding behind that microphone or whatever!" I don't hear anything after my rant, no click, no nothing. I drop my chin to my chest, defeated, until I hear something, like a door sliding open and I look to my right.

And I have the shock of my life.

* * *

**Who do you think is the kidnapper/professed murderer? If you feel like voicing your opinion feel free to go to my profile page and vote on the poll.**

**Thanks to all my favoriters, and followers! The next update will not take as much as the last one:)!**


End file.
